corn

Blue Cornbread

/ Ren

Organic, stone-ground blue cornmeal, fresh buttermilk, pastured eggs..

Blue Cornbread

Blue Cornbread

(adapted from a recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon)

1 1/2 cups organic stone-ground blue cornmeal
1/3 cup organic, unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup roasted corn kernels
1/2 tablespoon dried jalapeño (optional)
1 1/4 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 pastured eggs
3/4 fresh buttermilk
1 cup fresh whole milk
2 tablespoons pastured butter

Cut corn from the cob and toast in a skillet with a little butter (and jalapeño, if using) until golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl

Whisk the eggs into the buttermilk, then add to the flour mixture.  Add corn and stir to combine, using as few strokes as possible.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Use a bunched-up paper towel to rub melted butter up the sides of then pan, then pour the remaining butter into the cornbread batter and stir to combine.

Pour the cornbread batter into the hot skillet and bake in a 350-degree oven until it passes the toothpick test, about 50-60 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve with raw honey butter.

Cowboy Steak & Mexican Corn

/ Ren

1 1/4 inch thick grass-fed bone-in ribeye from Betsy Ross in nearby Granger, Texas.  Mopped in homemade BBQ sauce (lacto-fermented ketchup, organic molasses, vinegar, chili powder) and grilled over cured mesquite.  Served with roasted corn, green onions, red peppers, adobo seasoning, cilantro, cotija cheese and lime.

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meat and vegetables delivered by http://awesome.greenling.com


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Three Sisters Succotash

/ Ren
Uh'Be'Ka'Yad'Un'Na', Alex Seowtewa

Uh'Be'Ka'Yad'Un'Na'

The Three Sisters (squash, maize, and beans) are the three main agricultural crops of some Native American groups in North America.

The Tewa and other Southwest tribes often included a “fourth sister” known as “Rocky Mountain bee plant”, which attracts bees to help pollinate the beans and squash.

Succotash (from Narragansett msíckquatash, “boiled corn kernels”) is a food dish consisting primarily of corn and Lima beans or other shell beans. Other ingredients may be added, including tomatoes, green and sweet red peppers, and possibly including pieces of cured meat or fish.

Using local ingredients and flavors of the Southwest, my variation attempts to honor the spirit of these important food traditions..

Roast white and yellow corn and carrots in a heavy skillet with some good animal fat such as bison or bear if you can get it, or beef marrow or pork belly if you can’t.  Cook until browned, about 10 minutes.

Add Lima or other beans, wild onions or leeks and summer squash, filtered water or bone broth and a fresh chili if you like, and simmer partially covered until beans are tender, perhaps 20 minutes.

Season with salt and smoked pepper and garnish with fried squash blossoms and toasted pumpkin seeds.

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This post is part of Kelly The Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesdays


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Steak night

/ Ren

Sirloin steak, red pepper, garlic, shallot, jalapeno, sweet corn, thyme, onion chives, black truffle butter, russet potato, pasture butter, kosher salt, olive oil and black pepper.

With a stiff brush, scrub the potato under cold running water.  Remove any bad spots with the tip of a sharp knife.  Pat the potato dry, then rub lightly with olive oil and sprinkle all over with kosher salt.  Poke with a fork, then roast in a 400 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 210 degrees, about 45-60 minutes.

Lightly sprinkle the steak with kosher salt then set it aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.  This will help to ensure that we get the all-important Maillard reaction later.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables as shown.  I’ve decided to add chili powder and cilantro for the corn.

15 minutes before the potato is ready, pat the steak dry and put it into a hot iron grill pan. Sear it for 5 minutes without moving it.  Flip the steak over and smear it all over with butter containing minced shallot, garlic and thyme.

Saute the corn with the peppers until light golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add cilantro and chili powder.

Remove steak to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes to redistribute the juices.  Meanwhile, deglaze the steak pan with a little red wine.

Plate the steak and top it with pan juices and a little of the garlic butter.  Serve with the corn and baked potato topped with truffle butter and onion chives.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Chili

/ Ren

“…During the 1880s, brightly-dressed Hispanic women known as “Chili Queens” began to operate around Military Plaza and other public gathering places in downtown San Antonio. They would appear at dusk, building charcoal or wood fires to reheat cauldrons of pre-cooked chili, selling it by the bowl to passers-by. The aroma was a potent sales pitch…” (Wikipedia)  Visit npr.org for more information about The Chili Queens of San Antonio.

Chili con carne, Texas-style chili, Pedernales River chili, white chili, Cincinnati-style chili, Louisville style chili, chile verde.  All very different. All very good.

This unique chile selectively borrows from many of these traditions.  It would, of course be immediately disqualified from any self-respecting Texas chili cook-off.

Tomatillos, cilantro, masa flour, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, 3-bean chili beans, onion, queso Oaxaca bola (string cheese), Mexican oregano (related to lemon verbena, Mexican oregano is stronger than the Greek and Italian varieties), celery, Mexican dark beer, annatto oil, chipotles en adobo, 90% lean coarse-ground chili meat, dried ancho with cumin, pepper and cloves, red Frisco peppers, garlic, dark chocolate with cocoa nibs, cinnamon and chipotle and sweet white corn. Not shown: beef stock

In a Dutch oven, brown the meat in a little annatto oil. Drain any excess fat.

Chop the peppers, celery, onion, tomatillos and garlic and add to the meat.  Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft.

Add tomatoes, crushed ancho blend and chipotles en adobo. Allow the chili to come to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer.

Add beer and beef stock. Chili should be thin (lots of liquid) at this point. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cut the corn from the cob and toast in a skillet to intensify color, flavor and sweetness (this makes a nice contrast to the heat of the peppers).

Add the corn, cilantro, chocolate, drained beans and oregano to the pot, stirring until the chocolate is incorporated, about 5 minutes.

Add masa and tomato paste to thicken, simmer another 5 -10 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Rating  ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ +