Sauteed Rice Noodles (Pancit Bihon)

Pancit Bihon or sauteed rice noodles is one of Filipinos most popular dishes, in addition to lumpia.  Noodle dishes such as this has been introduced to us by Chinese immigrants.  One of the most common and popular dishes served  in parties and family celebrations.

Pancit, just like any other Filipino dishes, is not spicy.  But in our home, I usually make them hot and spicy to please my husband.  He won’t it eat any other way.  He thinks Filipino foods are bland and therefore not very fond of them.   I really can’t argue with him on that.  He is right.  Most Westerners considered Filipino dishes bland, as compared to the dishes in the neighboring countries.  Which is one of the reasons I seldom cook Filipino foods.  Thus reflecting a limited number of Filipino recipes posted in this blog.  He prefers  Thai and Chinese foods.  Thai foods because of all the hot chilies and peppers in it.  And Chinese foods because I can make them spicy and still taste outrageously good.

I don’t cook pancit often.  But I crave them once in a while.  And this week is one of those weeks where I have to have some pancit.

Here’s what you need to cook pancit:

Rice noodles.  Two packages, 8 ounces each.

Noodles need to be washed under cold running water. Water drained and noodles set aside.  This process will soften the noodles.

16 ounces of pork, sliced.  I kept some of the fat for more flavors.  Seasoned with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper.

16 ounces shrimp.  Peeled and deveined.  Seasoned with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper.

vegetables…

sliced and chopped…

and garlic… smashed, peeled and chopped.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat.

Add two tablespoons cooking oil.  Sorry.  I cheated here.  I used pork fat I had rendered few days ago, for more flavor.

Add red onions and green onions.  Stir fry one minute.  Add celery and cabbage.  Stir fry until cabbage turns bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove to a large platter.

Green beans stir fried in one tablespoon oil. Stir fried until green beans are wilted. And remove to the same platter with other stir fried vegetables.

Stir fried the shrimp until pink.  Remove to the same platter with the stir fried vegetables. (Sorry, I forgot to take a pic with this process…)

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and stir fry the garlic and hot peppers.  That is if you are using hot peppers. Be careful.  Hot peppers are going to be strong on the sinuses.

Add the pork to the wok.

Stir fry pork until golden on the edges.  And then add the sliced tomatoes. Stir for about 2 minutes.  Tomatoes should be slightly cooked with the pork and to the point of disintegrating.

Add 3 1/2 cups chicken stock or water to the wok.

Add fish sauce and soy sauce to the wok.  Bring pork and chicken stock mixture to a boil.

Add stir fried vegetables to the wok.  Stir and keep boiling.

Add the stir fried shrimp.

Add the washed, softened noodles. Stir until combined well.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Keep stirring the until the noodles absorb most of the liquid. And the noodles are tender but not too soft. Turn off heat.

Done and ready to serve!

Sautéed Rice Noodles (Pancit Bihon)

Serves 6 – 8 people

2 – 8 ounces package Rice Noodles or Pancit Bihon

16 ounces boneless pork – sliced

16 ounces shrimp – peeled and deveined

1/3 medium green cabbage

8 ounces fresh green beans

2 celery ribs – chopped

1 medium onion – sliced

4 stalks green onions – chopped

6 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and chopped

6 – 8 fresh hot chilies (optional)

2 roma tomatoes – sliced

6 TBSPs. cooking oil divided

4 TBSPs. soy sauce

4 TBSPs. fish sauce

3 ½ cups chicken stock or water

1 tsp. kosher salt – divided

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper divided

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)

Wash rice noodles under cold running water.  Drain water and set aside noodles.

Season sliced pork with ½ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper.  Set aside.

Season shrimp with ½ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper.  Set aside.

Heat a large wok and add 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat.  Saute onion and green onions for one minute.  Add celery and cabbage.  Stir fry for another two minutes.  Remove to a large platter.

Add another tablespoon cooking oil.  Stir fried green beans until welted, about 5 minutes.  Remove to the same platter with the rest of the stir fried vegetables.

Add the another tablespoon of cooking oil and stir fried the shrimp until

pink.  Remove to another platter and set aside.

Finally, add the remaining two tablespoons cooking oil.  Add garlic and whole hot peppers, if using.  Stir fry until garlic is golden.  Add pork and stir fry about 4 minutes.  Add sliced tomatoes to the pork.  Stir a few minutes.

Turn the heat to medium high.  Add the soy sauce and fish sauce to the pork.  Quickly stir to coat the pork.  Add chicken stock and bring pork to boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low.  Cover wok and simmer pork for 3 minutes.

Add the platter of stir fried vegetables and shrimp to the simmering pork and stock.  Add the remaining ½ tsp. ground black pepper and ground hot pepper if using.

Turn the heat back to medium and bring the whole mixture to boiling.  Add the rinsed rice noodles.  Stir noodles, pork and the vegetable mixture, until well combined.  Keep stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed and noodles are tender but not overcooked.

Serve hot.  This dish is served by itself or with other Asian dishes.  Serves as a snack, a full meal.

Serve noodles with a small slice of lemon, squeezing the juice over the noodles.

NOTE: This recipe serves a party of 6 – 8 people.  Please cut the recipe in half if only serving a few people.  Left overs can be refrigerated and warmed in the microwave.

Also.  As for the vegetables, you may not include what you do not like and replace them with what you like.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – By stir frying the vegetables, individually, as shown, keeps them from getting overcooked.   Thus, keeping them crunchy.

#2 – By also stir frying the shrimps also keeps them from getting overcooked and rubbery.

#3 – Chicken stock enhances the flavor of the noodles.

#4 – An equal amount of fish sauce and lemon juice drizzle over the noodles upon serving, is suggested if additional seasoning is needed for the noodles.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Healing Power of Being Born Feet First

I was eating the other night, painstaking removing the tiny bones off baked sardines.  I often do not eat fish, since I’ve come to America.  But I saw a package of frozen sardines at the commissary, and it reminded me of home.  Of me when I was little.  I thought, “Hmmm.  I could buy that and cook it like we used to.”  So I did.

Actually.  The way I’ve cooked the sardines is nothing like how we used to cook them.  When I was little, we didn’t have the luxury of cooking fish with all sorts of stuff to make it taste good.  We often cooked them only with salt, vinegar, and maybe some garlic, if we had any, and a little bit of water.  They tasted good, especially when eaten with a newly harvested rice.  And really, eating a barely seasoned fish is so much better than eating rice only sprinkled with a few grains of sea salt.

And then something happened when I came to America.  I stopped liking fish.  At least not as much as I’m used to .  Even when we were in Japan.  My friends would get excited when they talked about buying fresh fish.  I wasn’t.  But, on several occassions I bought fish and cooked them simply.  Like how we used to cook them when I was little.  The fish didn’t taste good.  It simply didn’t.  It was missing something.  I don’t know what it was.  It just did not tasted the same.  I was sad because I wanted so much to like fish again.  Maybe it wasn’t the fish.  Maybe it was me.  Maybe my my taste have changed?  I know my view in life have changed…

When I was little, we lived poorly.  In a nipa hut full of holes, which got soaked inside when it rained.  And bamboo floor that have weathered millions of footsteps, and bearing broken pieces on some corners.  As for our kitchen, we never had an oven.  Cooking was done in a makeshift stove.  A woodburing stove, made of platform filled with soft clay.  Three headsize stones that form a triangle, are buried deep in the clay so as to make them stable.  Wooden sticks are used to build fire in between the triangle.

I decided to bake the sardines.  To the sardines, I added chopped garlic, sliced red onions and tomatoes, a small piece ginger, pounded; sea salt, vinegar, a little bit of water and olive oil.  And I baked them for 40 minutes at 350°F.

Surprisingly, the sardines came out very good.  Very flavorful.  The first I liked in a very long time.  The only problem is – removing the tiny bones, which is tedious and time consuming.  Too much work for too little gain.  The very reason why my husband hates fish.  He will eat fish only if its filleted.  Even then, unexpected one or two bones comes up.  As for my son, he does not like fish at all.  Any fish.  It makes him gag.  I’m the only one, who once in a while, have the patience to sit in front of the dining table and pick the bones off a fish.

So, as I was painstakingly removing the tiny bones off the sardines I was eating, I remember a fish bone stuck in my throat, when I was barely four.  After hours of trying to remove it, eating a handful of rice, drinking a glassful of water, and then rubbing my throat, the fish remains stuck.  Mom always takes a drastic action.  She sticks a finger or two down my throat to find the elusive bone.  After a few hours.  Still no luck.  She couldn’t find the bone, even after several attempts.  And after gagging each time.  Feeling like my esopahgus is rolling upward.  Finally, a decision was made.  She and my Dad are going to take me to Elizabeth’s house.  A fourteen year old girl, who had been granted powers to heal.  All these powers just because she was born feet first.

Where I come from, the way she was born, in a primitive way, no hospital, only an old woman to deliver her, at home, she was supposed to not survived.  And so as her mother.  But, miraculously they both did.

She was known to have the power to magically remove the bones stuck in people’s throuat, and magically heal broken bones.   My parents were hoping that she could perform the same micracle with me.  I did too.  Having a bone stuck in my throat was painful.  And my throat was starting to swell up, because the bone is still lodged in there somewhere.

Once we were at Elizabeth’s house, Mom laid me down on a woven mat, on the floor.  I remember was Elizabeth rubbing my throat, gently, with a downward stroke, with her uncalloused hand.  And after about an hour, we were sent back home.

I don’t know what happened to the bone.  Maybe it got dislodged.  All I know is I couldn’t feel it anymore.  It’s no longer in my throat.

Whether she had power.  I really didn’t care.  All I care is for that bone to go away.  For my throat to feel better, and not have to painfully struggle each time I swallowed my saliva.

When my siblings and I were very young and didn’t have the ability to effectively remove tiny bones off small fishes like sardines, Mom would do it for us.   And then when we got to be around five or six, we were left to do it ourselves.  Mom was busy doing it for the younger ones.

Filleting fish was unheard of where I come from.  We cooked fish, big and small, with bones intact.  And hoped to avoid all the bones when we eat them.  But more often than not, we have bones stuck in our throats.  So Mom wound often say…

“Here.  Eat more rice,” as she pushed a big palmful of rice into our mouths.  And then she’ll hand us a glass of water.  “Is it gone?” she’d ask after gulping the water.

“No.  It’s still there.  My throat hurts.” I’d complain, tears running down my face.

“Here.  Eat some more rice! Make sure you swallow it all at once.” She commanded.  “And here.  Drink some more water.”  “Is it gone…?” she’ll ask again.

“No Nanay (Mom).  It’s still there! It hurts…!” slightly sobbing now.

“OK… come here,” as she pulls me closer to her.  She starts rubbing my throat, hoping to dislodge the bone.  Or worst.  She’d start trying to find that bone and dislodge it off my throat with her finger.  If the bone is stuck deeper and she couldn’t get to it… she’ll say…

“OK  Eday (baby), I can’t get it out. Just keep rubbing your throat with your hand.  I’ll go away.  You’ll see.”

Or she’ll say…

“Tell you what.  Why don’t you go to sleep.  When you wake up, it’ll be gone.”

“OK…”

So I go to sleep… with slightly swollen throat hoping that the bone is gone when I wake up…

Dipping Señorita

I had several dried chili pods left over from the chili I made the other day, so I decided to make use of them…

I made a Red Chili Sauce out of them here… something I needed for the Bean Dip I was going to make…

But first I had to make the Red Chili Sauce…

I needed six dried New Mexico chili pods…

Break off the stems and cut up the dried chili pods.

Soak cut up chili pods in hot boiling beef or chicken stock or water for 20 minutes.  Until soft.  And while this is soaking…

I saute red onions and garlic in olive oil…

Until soft and caramelized…

Place these in the blender and blend into a paste…

Blend into a paste like this…

And pour into a sauce pan.

And then add 3/4 teaspoon of each: ground coriander and ground cumin + 1/2 to 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt.

Simmer the sauce over low heat for 30 minutes.

This sauce  can be used with enchiladas or as dip all by itself.  And of course you will need this sauce for the Bean Dip below.

Don’t worry this sauce is not even mild hot… I can barely taste the heat.

Red Chili Sauce

Yield:  2 cups

6 Dried New Mexico Chili Pods, stems removed and chopped

1 cup beef stock or chicken stock or water – boiling hot

2 tablespoons light olive oil

3 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and chopped

1 medium red onion – chopped

¾ tsp. ground coriander

¾ tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Soak the cut up chili pods in the boiling stock or water for 20 minutes or until soft.

Heat a skillet and saute onions and garlic.  Until onions are soft and translucent.

Place sauteed onions and soaked chili pods plus the stock in the blender.  Blend into a wet paste.

Pour into a sauce pan.  Add the ground coriander and cumin.  And sea salt.  Simmer sauce over low heat for 30 minutes.

Use with enchiladas or as a dip.  And addition to Bean Dip.

~~~

OK… so here’s the real reason why I had to go through all this trouble to make the Red Chili Sauce.  I need this for the bean dip.

I already some few days ago.  And my husband and son loved it.  So I am today, I will make another batch.  The dip is great if you are having a couple of people over and enjoy it with your favorite corn tortilla chips…

Here’s how it’s done…

You’ll need six large Anaheim peppers…

Roast them under the broiler until skins are brown, about 10 minutes on each side. remove from the broiler and fold the foil over and seal the sides.  This will steam the peppers and will further loosen the skins.

Peel the skins, remove the stems and the seeds…

Chop them like this… Set aside…

You will need 30-ounce can refried beans…

Heat a skillet and add the refried beans.  Stir and heat until very hot.

And remember that Red Chili Sauce above? You will need one cup here.

Add the Red Chili Sauce to the heated refried beans.

Add half of medium red onion, chopped.

Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  I used extra sharp.  Stir to combine.

Stir the roasted, chopped Aneheim peppers.  (I think I could have chopped this more finely. I will do just that next time.) Stir to combine. And simmer over low heat slightly thick and bubbly hot.

Serve warm with either one of these…

Corn tortilla chips…

Naan bread…

Pita Squares…

Or you can serve the Bean Dip with all three of these…

As for the Naan and Pita… they are best heated in hot skillet that’s been brushed with light olive oil.  My son loves Naan and Pita on the crispy side…

Anaheim Pepper Bean Dip

6 large Anaheim Peppers – roasted, peeled, seeds removed and chopped

1 cup Red Chili Sauce – see recipe above

1 – 30 ounce can refried beans

Half medium red onion, chopped

1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese – shredded

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon coarse sea salt – or according to taste

Place Anaheim peppers in a foil lined baking pan.  Roast Anaheim peppers under a broiler for 10 minutes on each side or until skins are charred.  Remove peppers from the broiler and fold the foil, sealing the sides.  This will steam the peppers.  Allow roasted peppers to steam in the foil pouch for about 10 minutes.

Peel the peppers, remove the stems and seeds.  Chop roasted peppers finely.  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet and add the refried beans.  Heat refried beans are very hot.  Add Red Chili Sauce to the beans.

Add the onions and cheddar cheese.  Stir to combine.

Add the chopped peppers.

Simmer beans over low heat until slightly thick and bubbly hot.  About 20 minutes.

Serve warm with corn tortilla chips, Naan, or Pita Squares.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 –  Home made Red Chili Sauce gives this deep a distinct taste.

# 2 – Roasted Anaheim Peppers give the dip texture.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Devil’s Stew

“It can only truly be Texas red if it walks the thin line just this side of indigestibility: Damning the mouth that eats it and defying the stomach to digest it, the ingredients are hardly willing to lie in the same pot together.”
John Thorne, Simple Cooking

There are several legends and myths involving chili.  Stewed meat with hot peppers, tomatoes and spices.  They can be traced back all the way to 17th century.  In fact several people claimed to have originated the dish.

According to one myth, a nun in Spain put herself in trances for days.  One day when she awoke up from her trances,  she wrote down a chili recipe calling for deer meat, hot chili peppers and tomatoes.  She was known as the ghost “lady in blue” to the native Americans.

Inmates of Texas penitentiaries also claimed to have invented chili in the mid 1800s.  The chili was so loved by the prisoners that after they have served their time and released from prison, they write back to ask for the recipe.

In the same century, chili was staple  for the Texas cowboys and adventurers, traveling around Texas and on the trail to California and back.  They carried with them chilis (meat, peppers and spices) in dried and brick form, which could easily be rehydrated in boiling water, simmered in the pot and enjoyed on the trail.

With all the legends and myths about this dish, one thing is for sure:  chili originated in San Antonio, Texas, by the first Spanish settlers. Historians claim that the Spanish women cooked a spicy stew similar to what we know as chili today.

The first known attempt to can chili was in 1881 by William Gerard Tobin.  Unfortunately, he died only days after his canning operation started.

Finally in 1921, a businessman, Lyman T. Davis of Corsicana, Texas, started canning chili, which he named after his pet wolf, thus the Wolf chili brand was born.  One of the most popular brands of canned chilis.  In fact, in our home,  this is the only brand that my husband and son will eat.  Other than the home made chilis that I make.

The original chili did not contain beans.  For Texas chili purists, this is the only way they eat their chilis. Only beef and dried red chilis.  No beans.  But for some, and especially us, having kidney beans in chili is so much better.

And to maximize flavors, it is best to use dried chili pods, cooked and blended into a paste. Which then added during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Back in the day, priests were said to deliver sermons to their congregation warning them about eating chili.  Because chili is considered a passion food that can ignite people’s desires in the bedroom.  It is therefore considered soup by the devil.  So people.  Be warned.  Or should i say be prepared.

Here’s what you need for this very flavorful chili.

12 large dried chili pods.  the ones sold here are usually from New Mexico.

remove stems and seeds and cut them into pieces, using kitchen scissors.

beef stock.  make sure it’s boiling hot.

add the cut up chili pods to the beef stock.  cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

spoon chili pods into the blender, plus 1 cup beef stock. blend chilis until pureed into a wet paste.

Finely cubed beef and pork + olive oil and bacon drippings to brown them in.

heat a large pot and add 1 tbsp. bacon drippings and 2 tbsps. olive oil. brown the meat or should i say “saute” it until meat turns grayish in color. (see that liquid? you need to discard that later.)

remove meat from pot onto a large bowl or plate.

after discarding excess liquid from the pot. add the remaining olive oil and bacon drippings.  saute onions and garlic until translucent.

add the meat back into the pot – to the sauteed onions and garlic.

stir a few minutes.

add these: crushed tomatoes, spices and beef stock to the sauteed onions and meat.

stir and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until meat is tender.

add chili paste to the pot.

add kidney beans to the pot.

stir and simmer for another 30 minutes or until desired thickness.

Serve with either one of these :  plain cornbread, Naan (Indian bread), French baguette, or artisan breads. Oh, don’t forget to top your bowl of chili with grated cheddar cheese and freshly chopped red onions, or sour cream, or all three.

Devil’s Stew aka Texas Chili:

12 large dried Santa Fe New Mexico chilis – medium to extra hot

4 cups boiling beef stock or 4 cups boiling water + 4 beef bouillon cubes

2 pounds beef (tender roast, round or shoulder) – chopped into ¼ inch cubes

1 pound top loin pork chop, boneless – chopped into ¼ inch cubes

4 large garlic cloves – peeled and minced

1 large red onion – finely diced

1 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes (canned)

1 TBSP. dried oregano

1 TBSP. ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tsp. cayenne pepper for additional heat – optional

½ tsp. ground hot pepper for even hotter chili

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

½ tsp. coarse sea salt (if needed)

3 cans (16 ounces each) dark kidney beans – drained

2 TBSPs. bacon drippings – divided

4 TBSPs. olive oil – divided

Cut the stems and remove the seeds of dried chilis.  Cut chilis into 3 or 4 pieces.  Add chilis into the boiling beef stock and simmer, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes.

Spoon chilis into a blender plus 1 cup beef stock.  Reserve the remaining beef stock.  Blend chilis until pureed into a wet paste.  Set aside.

Trim tough tendons off the steaks and chop into ½ inch cubes.  Do the same with the pork.

Heat an 8 quart pot and add 1 tablespoons bacon drippings and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Add cubed beef and pork to the heated oil.  Stir constantly until meat turns grayish in color.  This process will take about 10 – 15 minutes.  Remove the meat from the pot using a slotted spoon.  Discard any liquid from the pot.

There’s usually too much liquid accumulating in the pot because meats are usually injected with water solution, by meat producers to make them weigh heavy.  Therefore, this liquid needs to be discarded.

Add the remaining olive oil and bacon drippings.  Sauté garlic and onions for about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add the meat back into the pot.  Stir and saute for about five minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, cumin, coriander, cayenne, hot pepper,  and bayleaves.  Stir to combine.  Add the remaining beef stock.

Stir the mixture and simmer over low medium heat for about 45 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Add the chili paste.  Stir.  Add the drained kidney beans.  Stir and simmer for additional 30 minutes.  Just before turning off the heat… add freshly ground black pepper.  Taste to see if coarse sea salt is needed.

Serve chili hot with either one of these:  cornbread, Naan (Indian bread), French baguette, or any Artisan breads.

Note:  Grated extra sharp cheddar cheese and finely diced red onions are excellent toppings on individual servings.  Grated cheddar cheese and onions highly compliment the chili.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Dried chili pods gives chili a very aromatic and slightly sweet flavors.  Cannot be substituted with powdered chili.

#2 – Using a combination of beef and pork gives chili great flavors and texture.  Meat cooks faster by chopping them finely.

#3 – Kidney beans make this chili hearty.  Do not use if you are a purist.

#4 – Eating chili with Naan bread makes it even more adventurous makes you want to go the heaven.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Biggest Chili Pot In the World

We’ve been here six years.  And every year, on labor day weekend, people at Dyess talk about the chili and barbecue cook-off at Buffalo Gap. We’ve been wanting to go, but always overslept on the days of the event.  So we always say… “Oh well.  We’ll just go next year.” And then next year comes and the same thing happens.  And then finally, after hearing about it for the past five years, Willie said “OK… we’re going to that chili and barbecue event on Saturday.  Jason said he is going to cook chicken and ribs for the contest.”  Jason is Willie’s colleague at work, a manager for another contracting company.

So, Saturday we went.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve tasted a really good barbecue from a  restaurant around here, so I was hoping to sample all types of barbecue.  Good barbecue.

My expectations were a bit too high.  I had imagined the place was going to compose of all these booths competing for the cook-off.  And we are going to sample plenty of barbecued chicken, ribs, and brisket.  Or at least I was hoping for all these things.

Two dollars per person, to get in.  That’s all we knew.  But then when we got there, all bets were off.  We also had to pay for tickets to taste the food from the participating booths.  That’s the key word “participating.”  There may have been 90 contestants for the cook-off.  But I did not see 90 booths or tents there. There were only a handful of booths who had the “People’s Choice” signs.  Which are the ones that gave away samples. At the gate, we were told these people had cooked extra food for people to sample.  Where are these people?  Where’s the food?

The samples were  tiny morsels of food.  Leftovers or extras from what they submitted for the contest. WTF.  Can I at least get one rib? A chicken wing?  Something!

OK… I was the fool that expected too much.  Food is not cheap.  And these people – the contestants paid $60 or more to enter the contest, plus the cost of the meat and woods or charcoal to cook it. I thought of this the night before we went.   But I ignored my feeling.  I hoped for something exciting.  Something that’s going to blow my mind.  In Abilene Texas?  I have been living in my head too long!

Unless you are a business, or owns a restaurant to participate in this cook-off, all the cost is a personal expense.  And if you don’t win the $4,000 top price? Better luck next time.

As far as getting food for nothing… No such thing.  There were commercial booths inside the camp ground that literally priced and sold their foods.  I don’t think they were among the contenders for the cook-off.  I think they were there to cash in on people who thought they were going to get food for cheap.  Instead the got hungry.

We were among the attendees who were highly uninformed.  We weren’t told much at the gate as they took our money.  After stamping our arms with the word SAT.  Which means our entry was for Saturday only.  We were waved through with no additional information.  It felt like we have been lured into this place.  And now that we are in, the harvesting begins.  They even forgot to tell us about the truck they were giving away.  The raffle ticket was $20 and you had to come back the next day for it. Nah.  That’s OK.  I’ll take the zero.

We did ate a few ribs.  The best ones we had there, and even the best compared to the ones we’ve had in a restaurant here.  That was Jason’s ribs.  They were amazingly tender and juicy.  Willie thought they were perfect.  I though they were awesome too.  But it needed a bit more seasoning.  Just a tiny adjustment.  And yes.  They would have been perfect.  Still.  Even with the tiny adjustments needed, they were still the best ribs we’ve had in a long time.  Even his chicken was moist.  Cold chicken that is.  Left over from what he submitted for the contest.

For Sunday, they also plan to submit an entry for the brisket and desert.  Bill, Jason’s friend was excited about his dessert.  “Yeah.  I’m going to make my pineapple upside down cake in my dutch oven.  They are gooood.  One thing I can brag about.”

Ironically, Jason’s entries did not place.  Not even his ribs.  We found out Tuesday when Willie saw him at work.

Willie sent him the pictures I took at the cook-off.  Which he was glad to have.  And even offered to tell me how he cooked his ribs if I wanted to know.  And he said, “Yeah.  For next year.  I’d like you guys to be my official tester.  You’ll be a priority and you’ll get more food next time.”

Alright.  We earned a position for next year’s events!

Oh… as we were living, I found out that the judges were picked from the crowd.  If you are near, or around the judging pavilion, at the time of “judging.”  They could pull you to become one of the judges.  I think I will hang around the judging pavilion next year.  It would be fun to judge!

This is where the event was held: Old Settlers Reunion Grounds in Buffalo Gap, Texas.

Abilene Fire Fighters Association was responsible for cooking a 500 gallon pot of chili – the World’s Largest Chili Pot.   The cooking began on Thursday night, September 2nd, with 1,750 pounds of ground beef and 200 pounds of chopped onions.

Helping the cause.  Willie and Ramon got two small bowls of their famous chili – $4 each bowl.

The chili was OK. Willie ate his.  Ramon didn’t.  The chili was all meat.  A typical of Texas chili.  I had a tablespoon off Willie’s bowl.  It was too meaty and a bit gamy for me.   We like our chili with kidney beans.

That’s Jason in green and his friend and cooking partner, Bill.  That’s their station.  They slept in small tents the three nights during the event.

The ribs smoking in Bill’s 50 gallon drum.  The ribs were seasoned 30 minutes before it hits the smoker.  And then they are smoked for one hour before transferring them to a a grill.  They are slow cooked for three to four hours.

The ribs after four hours of slow cooking.  Once cooked, they are placed in aluminum foil, apple juice is poured over it and wrapped.  Kept over the grill until time of submission. I think the apple juice is what made the ribs very moist.

Jason.  Carefully slicing the ribs for the contest.

They boys.  Just hanging out.

Many contestants had custom made propane tank smoker.

~~~

Since I can’t grill outside.  Let me just leave you a recipe for a Lime Balsamic Marinated Roasted Chicken on a bed of Chipotle Teriyaki Tomatillo Dressing.  A very tasty combination.

Lime – Balsamic Marinated Split Roasted Chicken

1 – 4 ½ to 5 pounds whole chicken – split in half

Lime – Balsamic Marinade:

2 TBSPs. fresh rosemary – finely chopped

Zest of 1 ½ large limes

Juice of 2 large limes

5 garlic cloves – peeled and grated or smashed

1 ½ tsps. dried thyme

20 black pepper corns – whole

2 bay leaves – torn into pieces

1 TBSP. kosher salt

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup teriyaki sauce

¾ cup olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Wash the whole chicken… and remove the chicken wings.  Split the whole chicken using a cleaver knife from the back down.  Also… it’s easier to split the breasts from the inside and work towards the front. (Please note that I removed the wings on purpose.  I like to remove the wings because they obstruct heat that should be directed to parts of the chicken breasts.)

Place the split chicken and the wings in a gallon freezer bag (I prefer Ziploc) and pour the marinade in the bag with the chicken.  Marinade the chicken for at least an hour at room temperature over overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Line a large – heavy duty cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Place a stainless cooling steel rack over the lined cookie sheet and arrange the chicken halves – skin sides up.  Remember to include the wings. Place them on the side, next to the chicken breast.

Roast the split chicken for 15 minutes at 450°F… then baste.  Roast another 10 minutes… then baste.  Reduce the oven to 350°F and roast for another 25 minutes… then baste.  Turn off the oven and let the roasted chicken rest for 10 minutes in the hot oven.  Serve 3 – 4 people.

You can serve this roasted chicken anyway you want.  For me I decided to serve this with Avocado slices on a bed of Chipotle – Teriyaki Tomatillo Dressing.

Chipotle Teriyaki Tomatillo Dressing

2 to 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – depending on how spicy you want

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

1 TBSP. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

½ cup olive oil

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves

8 tomatillos – washed, husk removed and chopped coarsely

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce come in a 7ounce can.

To maximize the taste from the chipotle peppers and its sauce, spoon 2 to 4 peppers into a mixing bowl.  Add red wine vinegar and teriyaki sauce.  Carefully rinse the peppers with the vinegar and teriyaki sauce and remove the peppers unto a chopping board.  Split the peppers, remove the seeds and chop finely.  Add chopped chipotle peppers back into the mixing bowl with the vinegar and teriyaki sauce.

Add balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, dried basil leaves.  Whisk all ingredients to combine.  Gradually add the olive oil… whisking until lightly creamy.   Add chopped tomatillos and cilantro leaves and stir until well combined.

Line slices of avocados around the plate and scoop about ½ cup of Chipotle Teriyaki Tomatillo Dressing into the plate.  Top with one or two pieces of roasted chicken.  Serve with warm, crusty garlic or sesame bread.

In case you are not familiar with tomatillos.  These are already cleaned.  But they usually come in with husk around it.  The husk feels like corn husk.

Yours should be thicker than this.  I’ve already scooped most of this into a plate and served.  So this picture was taken a little too late.

Lime Balsamic Marinated Roasted Chicken served over Chipotle Teriyaki Tomatillo Dressing and Avocado slices.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Roasting a split chicken cooks so much faster than the whole chicken.

#2 – Marinade always makes a roasted chicken tasty, flavorful and moist.  Here the lime and balsamic vinegar are an awesome combination which rendered the chicken its mouth watering flavors.

#3 – The dressing has that smoky and spicy flavor from the chipotle; sweetness from the teriyaki sauce and brown sugar, tartness from red wine vinegar, and the tomatillos.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Life Is A Game That No One Wins – Life As a Tragedy (Part 1)

What happens between life and death is simply a game.  And in this game, no one really wins.  Because in the end, we all lose.

One of the rules in negotiation, according to Roger Dawson, is “You have to be willing to walk away.”  So, if you are not willing to walk away.  You should never ever try to negotiate.

But how do you negotiate with life?

You don’t. I don’t.  We can’t.  No one can!

Life ends, sooner or later.  No matter what we do to preserve it.  To take care of it.  To cultivate it.  It still dies.  It ends.  And there’s no happy ending.  Life simply ends.

Marcelina died from an auto accident.  She was driving to her U.S. mail delivery route that Tuesday morning when her truck swerved and fell into a deep ravine.  In a small town in the state of Oklahoma.  Her truck got stuck in one of the trees while her body fell down the river.  She was only 35.

She had dreams.  She was driven.  She eventually wanted to go back home to the Philippines and open a hardware store.

She took the postal service test several times before she passed and eventually landed her the job.  She liked money.  She liked the security her job had to offer.  And the idea of having a good retirement income when she hits retirement age.  And most of all, she liked to be away from home.  She had no children to ground her.  To keep her home.  So working for the U.S. Postal Service was an ideal job for her.  It allowed her to be around other people.

Few years before, while we were still living in Jacksonville, Arkansas, we spoke on the phone several times and she was sharing with me her hilarious experience working the drive through for McDonald’s.

“Oh, Tess.  You don’t want to work for McDonald.  People yell at you.  They’re mean! Especially when I couldn’t understand what they are saying and I had to have them repeat their orders. They’d just start yelling.  So bad.”

“You what?  You worked for McDonald’s?  Why would you do that?”

“I was bored.  And I thought maybe working for McDonald’s would be fun.  You know… besides, it was a good experience.”

“Ahh, I don’t think I could do that.  No way!  I don’t like people yelling at me.  I have thin skin.  When someone yells at me, my first response is to yell back.”

And we’d laugh and laugh.  Remembering our college days.

I met her during my sophomore year in college.  We were in advertising and Spanish classes together.

She was married to an American man 25 years her senior.  She lived a comfortable life with her husband.  She drove a car, while I walked and took Jeepneys to school.  She owned two large homes.  She lived in one, and rented the other.  And her dream was to open a hardware store.  She thought she could make a lot of money with a hardware store.

One day, after class, she invited me over to her house.

“I make a really good Lasagna.  Why don’t you come with me and I’ll show you how to  make it.  It’s good.  You’ll see.” Lasagna.  I’ve never had some before.  I didn’t cook either.  My boyfriend’s maid, Vangie, did all the cooking.  I just ate and went to school.

So off we went.  I hop into her her brand new, white Mitsubishi Lancer and drove to her house.

She showed me around her well decorated house.  With custom draperies. The well manicured lawn.  Her brother is her landscaper.  And her older sister her her maid.

In the Philippines, it is a typical of Filipino-American household to employ the wife’s siblings and relatives.  They become the drivers, the yard boys, and the maids.

We hang out for a few hours that day.  My boyfriend (now my husband),  was away that week, to another country.  As he always was.  He was gone 285 days out of 365 days every year.  So I didn’t have to rush home.  It was a good visit.

She told me more about herself and her husband.

“You know my husband is very strict.  He has rules that I must follow.  Like in the bedroom.”

Not sure if I was showing it, but I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.  When people starts sharing their personal secrets to me, I start to feel embarrassed.  I am a prude.  And there’s no way you are going to hear me say personal stuff like that.  But I looked her in the eyes to convey my interest and continued to listen.

“Yeah.  You know… he likes for me to go to bed, every night,  naked.  No exception.  If I have anything on.  He gets mad. “What I tell you about going to bed!” He’d yank my clothes or anything I have on and throw them on the floor.”

I was thinking, OK… that’s a little bit too much information for me!

But what came out of my mouth was…

“Wow!  Really?”

“I don’t think I could go to sleep, every night, naked.  I’ll catch a cold.  Or get a stomach ache.  No way!  I need to have my clothes on.  Being naked, while trying to get a good night sleep, is never going to work for me!”

“I know.  Sometimes I get so cold.  But that’s how he likes me to sleep with him.  So I just do it.  But when he’s not here.  I do what I want!” her face brightened with a light cackle.

Hmmm.  I thought that is weird.  I am 20 and naive.  But I don’t think I could do it.  That’s probably why I am a loser in life.  I don’t like being subjected to rules.  I don’t like being caged.  I don’t like for someone to dictate my every move.  As much as I like comfort and money, if I am subjected to all sorts of rules.  Forget it.  I will walk away.  I’d rather be poor.  Besides, being poor is nothing new to me.  I have been poor growing up. I’m sure I can adjust back into that type of life.  I won’t like it.  And it’s probably going to take a while for me to get used to being very poor again.

And I might even regret it.

While living poor, I might even wish I could just put up with someone bossing me around.  Subjecting me to rigid rules and disciplines.  But there’s one thing know about myself, and I don’t know myself that well.

I am stupidly stubborn and pig-headed.  If I don’t like something, I will not put up with it for long.  I leave.  I go do something else.  The only thing that I committed my life to up to now, is my marriage, my husband and my son.  I have dumped everything else.

“Because you never live in reality!  If you do, you’d think otherwise.” My husband yells at me to reiterate his point.

“And that’s why you’re a loser. You have no sense of responsibility and commitment.  You’re not willing to commit on one thing for a long period of time.  And then having people know and vouch for you because they’ve known you for twenty or more years!” And he reminds me of this whenever the situation arises.  Hoping that this will eventually penetrate into my rock hard head.

My response is, and always is – yeaaahhh whateeeveeer!  F*ck you! Yelling back like a rebellious teenager.

But, he is right.  I just don’t believe in subjecting myself against something I no longer enjoy doing.  I don’t like living life like a zombie.  Alive and walking but dead inside.  I don’t think that’s the way to live.  Though I can’t lie.  There are moments when I feel like that.   Alive like a zombie.  Hollow inside.  Confused as to why am still alive.

No, I didn’t have all the materials things Marcelina and all my other friends possessed.  I blame my stupidly stubborn feelings.  And I wasn’t willing to pay the price.  Besides, I wasn’t wise and clever enough.  I am naive about life. And don’t take too many chances.

There’s one thing I admire about Marcelina.  She used her head.  Not her feelings.  She knows what she wanted and was willing to pay the price.  Her husband is old. Much older than her.  And if she plays her card right, she’ll have it all in the end. Or will she…?

I can tell that she hated some of those rules.  Her husband imposed on her.  But her husband provided very well for her.  She liked owning two homes, and driving a brand new car.  So his rules are just minor inconvenience to achieving what she wanted in life.

Her husband’s adult children did not like her.  Which can be expected.  She was 25 years younger.  She was their own age.   And they were sure of one thing – she married him for his money.  Why else, right?  I don’t know.  Maybe.  From what she told me, I can only guess that because of their age difference, she longed to be with someone younger.  In fact, in one of our conversations, she was telling me of a man at work who likes her.  A lot.

“Oh Tess.” Giggling like a teenager.

“I met this guy at work.  He is one of the big bosses, who regularly visits our facility.  He’s given me his American Express card! He said I could go shopping and buy whatever I want.”

“Wow! Really?” With shock and surprise in my voice, and thinking… but what about your husband?  Does he know?  Why would this guy give you his credit card and urged you to go shopping, and buy whatever you want…?

I was confused.  I couldn’t understand why.  Like I said.  I am naive.

I don’t know the extent of their relationship.   I just listened to her.  I really didn’t ask a lot of questions that’s could potentially embarrass her or me.

But she stayed married to her husband until that fateful day.

Like I said.  Marcelina used her head.  Not her feelings.

I didn’t find out about her death until over a year later, when I received a letter from a woman, in Oklahoma.  A woman I didn’t know.

Several years ago, I had a tradition of writing letters and sending out cards during the Christmas holidays.  So when her husband received my letter, she passed it on to one of Marcelina’s friend.  I guess it was too painful for him to sit down and write me a few lines himself.  I met him once.  So I never really knew him.  And he probably knew me only through all the letters and cards I sent his wife.  If that.

It must have been too painful to recount all over again how his beloved wife died.  How sad.  He was 60 when his wife died.  I don’t think he’s ever imagined outliving his wife.

Marcelina.  To her, life was a sport.  It was  a game.  She was determined to become a winner of that game.  But fate intervened.  She couldn’t control it.  It became her ultimate enemy.

~~~

I have never cooked Lasagna.  Never.  Not even since my friend Marcelina showed me how.  I don’t know why.  Maybe because most of what I cook is for my husband and son; based on what they like.  They’ve never ask for Lasagna.  So I never cooked it.

But my husband likes meatballs.  Especially with his spaghetti sauce.   And these meatballs are versatile.  You could serve them with a simple tomato sauce over spaghetti noodles.  But my favorite is the Classico Tomato & Basil Sauce.  After baking, I allow the meatballs to simmer in the sauce.  Then, they’re perfect to serve.

Oh… you could also bake several batches and freeze them.  So you can have meatballs whenever you need them.

Easy Meatballs

1½ pound lean ground beef

6 or 8 medium size green olives – finely diced

4 cloves garlic – smashed, peeled and finely chopped

¼ medium onion – finely diced

1 stick celery – finely diced

1 TBSPs. Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce

½ cup plain bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsps. kosher salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

____

26 ounce Jar Classico Tomato & Basil Sauce.

____

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a large mixing bowl… combine all the ingredients (except the Classico Tomato & Basil Sauce) and form into balls.

Place meatballs on the baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 25 – 30 minutes.

Pour the Classico Tomato & Basil Sauce into a medium size sauce pan.  Heat over medium heat until boiling.  Reduce heat and add the baked meatballs.  Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve meatballs over spaghetti noodles or over a toasted Italian bread.  Also great as appetizer.

Meatballs in Classico Tomato & Basil Sauce

Here i sauteed one medium onion (chopped), one green bell pepper (seeded and chopped) and 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms.  And then i added the a jar of Classico Tomato & Basil Sauce.  Simmered it while waiting for the meatballs to get done.   Once the meatballs are cooked, i add them to the sauce and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes before serving.

Meatballs over spaghetti noodles, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – It is easier to form the meatballs using a rounded soup spoon.  (Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a small bowl.   Deep the spoon in the oil  - coating it inside and out.  And shake off excess oil from the spoon.) Also, grease both your hands.  It’s even better if you wear “exam gloves” to avoid your hands from getting dirty.  Grease your gloved hands so the meat won’t stick.

Scope a spoonful of the meat mixture.  Place it in your palm and roll counter clockwise until a ball is formed.  Repeat the same process until all meat mixture are rolled into balls.

Occasionally dip the spoon into the oil, while continuing to make meatballs.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris