It has been another busy week for me, as my lack of posts can attest to. Work has been busy and my parents have been up visiting, so I haven’t had much time to sit down and write anything. In fact, this post is a week overdue as this recipe was created last Saturday. Hey, better late than never.

Last Saturday dawned gray and rainy, so my morning plans of fishing were put on hold. Yes, I admit it, I am a fair weather fisherman. To me it is more about the act of fishing than actually catching fish, though catching them is an added plus. Since this is the case, I prefer my fishing days warm and sunny, and usually accompanied by a few beers! But since we had cancelled our fishing plans I decided to head to my favorite spot to pick ramps (wild leeks). The trees would keep the worst of the drizzle from reaching me and the wet ground would make digging ramps rather easy. Besides, the place I was headed is so full of ramps I wouldn’t have to search too long or hard and would be back in my car before I was soaked through. And without the daughter in tow, like the previous week, I could get in and out quickly.

I don’t do a lot of foraging as I am not that knowledgeable about wild edibles, but I do forage for ramps and morels as they are both pretty safe to forage. Both are very distinctive and while there are a few poisonous look alikes, those look alikes are really not that similar once you take a closer look. Now for the CYA, lawyer speak so I don’t get sued – Never eat anything you have foraged unless you are 100% sure of what you have. A forager’s golden rule is “When in doubt, Throw it out!” Please make sure you know what you have before you eat it. No sense in making yourself sick…or worse. Secondly, if you are going to forage, don’t be shelfish and strip an area barren. Always leave a few behind for others and to ensure that it comes back year after year.

For those of you not familiar with ramps these alliums, part of the onion family, like moist, sandy soil so are often found near streams and on hillsides close to streams and creeks. They are one of the earlier plants to break soil in spring so finding them is usually quite easy as they tend to rise above the other plants in the area, but by mid May, usually, the other plants have overtaken them making them harder to find and causing the leaves to die back. The leaves are soon replaced by a flower stalk which blooms in early summer. While the bulb is edible all year long, it is best in spring, when the whole plant, bulb and leaves can be used. Ramps are very pungent and have a taste that combines the flavors of onion and garlic, and can be used in place of either, though start out using less and add more if needed.

Creamy Potato and Ramp Soup

3 ribs celery, chopped
1/3 cup ramps, bulbs and stems, no leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups half and half
10 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup ramps, leaves only, chiffonnade (a fine julienne)
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Combine the celery and ramp bulbs in a large pot along with the butter and saute for 4 minutes, without coloring. Add the potatoes, half and half and enough water to just cover the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the potatoe are falling apart, about 25 minutes. Puree soup until completely smooth. Return to heat, add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and add the ramp leaves. Cook for about 4 minutes to wilt the leaves and serve immediately. If soup is too thick thin with just a bit of milk or half and half.

It occurs to me that I write often about the foods and drinks of New Orleans. I’m not sure why the city and its food has left such an indelible on me. I only spent about 6 months living there, while doing a culinary internship, but there is something about the food of that city that has made a lasting impression. The city is proud of its culinary heritage, a meld of Old World and New. The cuisine is a true American invention, a blend of cuisines from France, Spain, Africa, and the Caribbean along with the bounty of New World food stuffs. I think this is what has captured…and kept my interest for so long. I know of no other cuisine that draws from so many diverse cultures, blends those influences together, and creates something that is so wholly new, yet still reminiscent of each cuisine it has drawn from.

One of my favorite dishes, from New Orleans and Cajun folk who settled in the area, is Gumbo. A combination of European and African technique, along with the foods of Africa and the New World, this soup is the apex of that melding of so many cuisines and cultures, in my opinion. In fact, the word gumbo, itself comes from Africa and is an African word for okra, a traditional thickener used in the soup.

Gumbos come in a wide variety of styles, some containing only seafood for the protein, some containing chicken and andouille (sausage), while others contain all three, and some, eaten during lent are completely meatless. Some contain tomatoes while others do not. The creole versions tend to use a lightly browned roux, while Cajun versions use a very dark roux that adds an incredible depth of flavor to the dish. Traditionally okra or file powder (ground sassafras leaves) were used as the main thickener, though traditionally cooks always used one or the other, never both. Seafood gumbos were usually thickened with okra while chicken and sausage gumbos were thickened with file. This had more to do with timing than any great culinary revelation. Okra was available during the summer when one could go crabbing and shrimping. In winter, when okra was not available file was used, a time when chicken and sausages were easier to come by then seafood.

The version I offer up below, is a Cajun style gumbo using shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage. It’s a rich,and hearty soup but not overly thick so while it will warm you up in winter it is not too heavy to enjoy in summer. In other words it makes a great meal year round. Ladle it into a bowl as is, or spoon it over rice for a more “stick to your ribs” meal.

Gumbo
serves 4-6

1 pound shrimp (2 pounds if you can get head on shrimp)
8 cups water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups flour
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, diced
1 pound andouille sausage (if you can’t find andouille a spicy smoked sausage such as kielbasa will do)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
hot sauce
salt
1/2 pound okra, sliced

Peel the shrimp, removing the tails also. Place the shells, tail, and heads (if you got head on shrimp) into a pot and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the flour to make a roux. Stirring almost constantly cook the roux until it is dark brown.

Do not allow the roux to burn or the gumbo will taste bitter and burnt. Also, they don’t call dark roux “Cajun napalm” for no reason. This stuff is HOT and it sticks like crazy. Getting this stuff on you burns like crazy so be careful! Once you have achieved the color above add the vegetables and cook 5 minutes longer.

Strain the shrimp shells from the stock you just made and add the stock to the pot, discarding the shells. Add the chicken, sausage and seasonings, adding salt to taste. Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add the okra and cook 15 minutes longer. If the shrimp are large cut them into bite sized pieces, if they are small just add them as is along with the hot sauce to taste (gumbo should have a little kick to it, but it shouldn’t be overly spicy). Allow to cook a few minutes longer, just until the shrimp are cooked through, then serve

I can’t believe that this is my first stew recipe here on “Once a Chef…” I love stews and usually make them often during the cold, winter months, but I’ve been slacking in that department this year, it seems. There’s just something so comforting about a big pot of stew cooking away on the stove top when the wind is howling, the snow is blowing and the temperatures plummet. While I like all types of stews, I have to admit that I am partial to simple beef stews chock full of hunks of meat, carrots, onions, potatoes and other root vegetables.

Like so many of the recipes I offer up here, stews can easily be modified to suit your tastes. Add a little red wine, or mushrooms. Vary the herbs, or add a whole variety of root vegetables. Finish the stew with sour cream, yogurt, or a little fortified wine, or leave it plain. The possibilities are endless and you can build it to suit your own tastes and cravings.

I’ve kept this one rather simple, but have added a bit of flair by using Guinness in the dish. The maltiness of the beer helps to elevate the sweetness of the rutabage, while the caramel tones compliment the well browned meat. The bitterness just kind of fades into the background, but be careful how much you use or that bitterness can ruin the dish.

Beef & Guinness Stew
serves 4 with a few leftovers

1 1/2 pounds beef (I usually look for chuck or round) cut into 1 1/2″ cubes (fat and sinew removed)
4 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled, large dice
2 ribs celery, large dice
3 each carrots, peeled, large dice
1 1/2 bottles Guinness (that leaves 1/2 a bottle for drinking while cooking because it would be a shame to waste good Guinness!)
2 cups water
1 medium rutabaga peeled, large dice
3-4 potatoes peeled, large dice
1 each bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt
pepper

Season the flour with salt and pepper, and toss with beef to coat. Meanwhile, in a large, heavy bottomed pot heat the oil over high heat. Add half the floured beef to the pot and cook until deep brown on all sides (people have a tendency to want to stir meat too often as it is browning-once added to the pan let it cook for 3-4 minutes before stirring, then only stir enough to mix it around so that other sides brown, allow to cook a few minutes before stirring again). Once meat is sufficiently browned remove from pot and cook remaining beef. Remove that also and add onions, carrots and celery. Add a little more oil if necessary and cook until lightly browned. Deglaze pan with the beer, stirring to scrape up all the bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5 minutes then add the beef, along with any juices that have accumulated, the water, bay leaf, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a hard simmer, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer, slowly, for 1 1/2 hours. Add the rutabaga and potato, cover, and cook until meat and vegetables are tender, about another 30 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. If the stew is a little thin for your tastes (I like my stew pretty thick) mix a couple of tablespoons of flour with just enough water to make a thin paste. Add to stew and bring back to a brief boil to thicken. Serve with homemade biscuits.

Well, winter has finally arrived here in Wisconsin, and it has arrived with a vengeance, if you can believe the forecast for the next few days. We are expecting 1 to 2 inches of snow today, and possibly 10-13 inches on Tuesday and Wednesday! Time to pull out the winter jacket, gloves, hats and boots. I guess that also means that I’ll need to pull out the shovels.

In anticipation of our first big snow, I made up a big pot of chili, my first of the season. I’m a little late as I usually have made a couple of batches by the time December rolls around, but I never got around to making up a batch this Fall. But with the impending blizzard, and the thought of having to spend a good amount of time shoveling out, I figured now was the time to get a big old pot full of soul warming chili going.

I have a number of recipes for chili, each distinct from the the others in various ways. Some contain beer, others contain whiskey, while others do without any form of alcohol. Most contain tomatoes and beans though a few do not. Some are thickened with corn tortillas or masa harina, while others are thinner and more soup like. Another thing I like to do is add both dried and fresh chiles to my chili as I feel it gives a more complex flavor to the heat. I rarely make the same kind twice in a row and allow my whims to dictate how the chili will turn out. In fact, I hate to say that I have a number or “recipes” for chili, as they are more of a general guideline, that I follow, than anything else.

Yes, I know that last paragraph contained two ingredients that make any chili purist shudder; tomatoes and beans. Okay, I understand, “traditional” chili does not contain these 2 ingredients, but I never claimed that what I make is a historically accurate rendition of the true “chili con carne,” containing only meat, chiles, onions, seasonings, and water. I’m fine with the addition of tomatoes and beans to my chili, but I do draw the line at the addition of pasta, especially spaghetti. Chili with pasta seems to a favorite up here in Wisconsin, but I just don’t understand it, nor do I want to. It’s just wrong!

The recipe I offer up today is a pretty straight forward chili without a lot of complicating flavors, and while it does contain tomatoes and beans, I think that good Texan would still find it comforting and tasty.

Chili

3-4 each Dried Guajillo peppers
2 cups Water
4 pounds Beef, rump roast, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 each Onions, large, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2-6 each Jalapenos, seeded and roughly chopped (the amount depends on how hot you like your chili)
1 can (6oz.) Tomato paste
2 cans (14.5oz. each) Diced or Chopped Tomatoes
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
2 tsp. Chili powder
2 cans (15.5oz. each) Kidney Beans, drained
Salt
Pepper

Roughly tear up the guajillo peppers, discarding the seeds. Place in a pot with the 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand, at least, 10 minutes longer. Meanwhile season the meat with salt and pepper and in a large pot brown it, in oil, over high heat. This will need to be done in at least 4-5 batches so as to not cool down the pan too much by overcrowding. This is one of the most important steps that most people fail at when making any kind of stew (which chili essentially is) or braised dish. Take the time to get a nice dark sear on the meat.

Remove each batch of meat from pan as it browns and give the pan a minute to heat up again before adding the next batch. After all the meat is done add the onions, garlic and jalapenos to the pan and saute until the onions start to wilt, scraping up any of the meat juices that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile puree the guajillos and water in a blender until smooth. Add the pepper puree to the onions and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the can of tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn. Add the 1 cup of water along with the diced tomatoes and stir until the tomato paste dissolves into the liquid. Add the spices.

Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure the chili doesn’t burn. After 2 hours, add the kidney beans, cover again and simmer 30 minutes longer. Once the 30 minutes are up remove the cover and allow to continue to cook until the meat is tender and you have achieved the desired consistency. I like this chili rather thick so I let the liquid reduce down considerably. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve as you like. Personally, I like mine with a side of tortilla chips, though my wife likes to top hers with minced onions, sour cream and shredded cheese.

The cold weather is slowly descending upon Wisconsin. While there have been a few days, so far, where we have seen snow in the air, I imagine that it won’t be long before that becomes a regular occurrence. Unlike so many others, I don’t mind the winter, and except for the long drive to work, I rather look forward to the season. I don’t understand people, here in Wisconsin, that spend so much of their time griping about winter. I just want to look at them and say, “You live in Wisconsin, what do you expect? If you hate winter so much then move south!” I guess it’s because I’ve moved around so much, that if I don’t like the weather in a place then I just pack up and move on. Life’s too short to be stuck living in a place you hate half of the year. That’s part of the reason I left the South. Being a Northern boy by birth, I missed the 4 seasons, and hated the hot, humid summers.

As I was saying, before I went off on my rant, winter is just around the corner for us in the North. One of the reasons I know this is the fact that my wife is in soup making mode. Much of it will be destined for the freezer, packaged into small individual portions that she can take to work with her. Her latest soup was a wonderful Split Pea with Ham.

Split Pea soup gets a bad rap, mostly thanks to the movie “The Exorcist.” That’s too bad as Split Pea soup is a hearty, soul warming dish full of flavor. The perfect remedy to ward off the chills and a great way to warm up after a chilly afternoon raking leaves. The other great thing about Split Peas soup is that it is so easy to make.

Split Pea Soup with Ham
1 each Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 each Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 pound Dried Split Peas
4 each Ham Hocks
Salt
Pepper

In a large sauce pot melt butter over medium high heat. Add the carrots and onion. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables are just starting to brown. Add the split peas and ham hocks then add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the peas are soft and tender, adding more water if necessary to keep the peas just submerged. Remove the ham hocks and allow to cool. Puree the soup in a blender or better yet with an immersion blender (so much easier!). Thin with a little water if too thick for your liking. Season with salt and pepper and return to the stove, over low heat. Remove the rind (skin) from the hocks and cut away all the meat from the bone. Dice into bite sized pieces and return to the soup. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with either more finely diced ham or croutons (small cubes of bread sauteed in garlic butter until golden and crispy).

French Onion Soup is one of those dishes I have pretty much stopped ordering at restaurants unless I am familiar with the place and know they make it properly. It’s not that most places have bad French Onion Soup, it’s just not that good. That’s too bad because good French Onion Soup is not difficult to make, it just takes a little time and patience. French Onion soup gets its extraordinary depth of flavor in the long, slow cooking process of caramelizing the onions. Rush this step and that is the difference between a good onion soup and an okay one. Onion soup should also be made with homemade beef stock, but not many people keep beef stock around like they do chicken stock. If you don’t have beef broth around then at least buy canned beef broth. Whatever you do stay away from the bouillon cubes or packets as they tend to be overly salty and taste way too artificial.

The first recipe is a standard recipe for French Onion Soup. The second recipe is for a Creamy Onion Soup with Blue Cheese. It starts just like the French Onion Soup, but then thickened and finished with half and half and blue cheese. It is one of my favorite variations on Onion soup

French Onion Soup

2 Tbsp. Butter
4 pounds Yellow Onions
1 cup Red Wine**
2 1/2 qts. Beef Broth
1 each Bay Leaf
3 sprigs Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
1/2 thick croutons cut from a Baguette, toasted

Peel and julienne the onions. In a large pot, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and slowly caramelize the onions. Over medium heat this should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir regularly to keep the onions from burning. This is important in the later stages as the onions start to caramelize It is this long, slow caramelization process that really builds the deep flavor of this soup so don’t rush it. When the onions are dark brown raise heat to medium high and deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Reduce the wine until almost dry then add the beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. To serve ladle into soup crocks top with a crouton then the cheese. Place under a broiler until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned in spots. (continue reading…)