The Hungry Hoosier

Espagnole

Here is the recipe for Espagnole, step two in getting you all the way to Demi Glace

• 1 gallon brown stock, hot (recipe here)
• 1 1/2 cups brown roux (recipe here)
• 1/4 cup bacon drippings
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• Fresh parsley, handful
• Fresh thyme, three sprigs
• 3 bay leaves

In a stock pot, whisk the hot stock into the roux. In a large saute pan, re-heat the bacon drippings and add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for an additional about 5 minutes. Add this to the stock pot. Use kitchen twine to tie together the parsley and thyme and toss in the stock pot along with the bay leaves. Skim as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Strain the sauce through a strainer.

Demi Glace

This step three in the making of Demi Glace. The two previous steps are Beef Stock and Espagnole. Once you have these, the demi glace is a breeze...if that breeze is a deep, rich, complex ambrosia.

Demi Glace

• 1 gallon espagnole sauce, hot (recipe here)
• 1 gallon brown stock, hot (recipe here)
• Fresh parsley, handful
• Fresh thyme, 3 sprigs
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt
• Fresh cracked pepper

In a stock pot, combine the espagnole sauce and brown stock. Turn the burner up to high. Use kitchen twine to tie together the parsley and thyme and toss into the pot along with the bay leaves. Bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and a simmer until the liquid reduces by half. This will take about 90 minutes. Skim the liquid occasionally, if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Strain through a strainer. I use freezer bags to divide this in one-cup portions and freeze them.

Here are a few options for the use of demi glace:

Bordelaise - In a saucepan, add 1 cup red wine and 2 tablespoons minced shallots and reduce to 1/2 cup.  Add 1 cup demi glace and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Strain, then add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Salt and pepper as needed.  Finish with 2 tablespoons Cognac, 1 tablespoon Madeira and 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, and a 2 tablespoons of butter.  Serve with grilled steaks..

Chateaubriand - In a saucepan add 1 cup white wine, 8 chopped mushrooms, 3 shallots minced, 1 tablespoon. fresh lemon thyme, a bay leaf and bring to boil and reduce to 1/4 cup.  Add 1 cup demi glace, and simmer for about 30 minutes, strain and salt and pepper as needed.  Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons Cognac, 1 tablespoon Madeira, and 2 tablespoons of butter.  Serve over grilled steaks with fresh chopped parsley.

Chasseur - In a chunk of butter, sauté 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 2 minced shallots for about 2 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup white wine, reduce liquid completely, and stir in 1 cup demi glace.  Add 2 tablespoons Cognac, 1 tablespoon Madeira, and 3 tablespoons of butter.  Serve over game or poultry and top with fresh chopped parsley over the sauce.

Diane Sauce - You will need 1 chilled hardboiled egg, and 1 chopped truffle.  In a saucepan, add 1/4 cup white vinegar, 10 crushed peppercorns, bring to boil and reduce to 2 tablespoons.  Strain liquid into 1 cup demi glace and stir. Add to the demi glace 1/4 cup crème fraîche with a few drops of hot sauce.  Slice the egg and add only the whites, along with the truffles, to the demi glace. Salt and pepper as needed. Heat and serve with broiled or gilled meats.

Lyonnaise Sauce - In 2 tablespoons of butter, sauté 1 cup minced onions.  Add 1/4 cup white wine, 1/4 cup white vinegar and reduce liquid completely, add to 1 cup demi glace sauce and simmer 20 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons Cognac, 1 tablespoon Madeira, 2 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper as needed.  Serve with grilled and sautéed meats.

Madeira - Bring 1 cup Madeira wine to a boil, reduce to 1/4 cup, stir in 1 cup demi glace and add 2 tablespoons Cognac.

Robert Sauce - In 2 tablespoons of butter, sauté 2 minced onions.  Add 1/4 cup white wine, 2 tablespoons white vinegar and reduce liquid completely, add 1 cup demi glace and simmer 30 minutes.  Combine 1 teaspoon confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard. Salt and pepper as needed. Serve with grilled steaks or chops.

Citrus Demi Glace - Bring 1 cup orange juice to a boil, reduce to 1/4 cup. Stir in 1 cup demi glace and add 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier and 2 tablespoons butter. Salt and pepper as needed. Serve over roast beef.

Bacon: The Gateway Meat

I was breezing though a magazine last night and saw a photo of someone wearing a shirt that said, "Bacon: The Gateway Meat." I love that! I looked for it online but didn't find one. I did however find a bacon bracelet. That's pretty cool as well. If interested, you can find the bracelet here.

Speaking of bacon, a few days ago I picked up a pound from Goose The Market. Theirs comes from locally-raised hogs and Chef Chris smokes the stuff himself over applewood. I prepared some of this bacon using one of my absolute favorite techniques - Brown-Sugar Glazed Bacon.

The recipe comes from the folks at Everyday Food. It is pretty simple - bacon cooked in the oven with some brown sugar crumbled on top and cracked black pepper. With Goose's bacon this was nothing short of sublime - smoky, sweet, spicy, bacon-y. It is times like these when I'm sooo thankful I have low cholesterol. You can get the recipe here.

Manly Man Chili

The following is a transcript from the RadioMom Hungry Hoosier show from January 11, 2008

This is Scott Hutcheson, The Hungry Hoosier. For a lot of guys, their culinary repertoire is limited to ribs, steak and other hunks of meat that can be cooked over fire. One non-grilled food that seems safe enough for even the manliest of men to prepare, is chili. Maybe it is the image of firefighters’ five-alarm versions or maybe it’s that making chili, like grilling, is a good excuse to drink beer. I love Cincinnati-style chili, getting its distinctive taste from cocoa powder, cinnamon, and a few other unusual spices. According to Cincinnati folklore this version came into being when a young chef from Macedonia arrived in Cincinnati and opened a chili stand. He added spices from his background. Guys, as you cheer on the Colts during this play-off season, consider making a big pot of chili for your family and friends. If you would like my recipe for Cincinnati Chili, you can find it here.

Getting Sauced with Your Mother - Part One

Published in frothy newspapers on January 10, 2008

Archie Manning insists he didn’t push his boys into football and I believe him. I’m sure, however, his pride is immeasurable each time he sees Payton or Eli read the defense and deliver the perfect pass. That’s a fundamental part of being a parent - wanting to see a little of yourself immortalized for at least one more generation.

For some parents its how to master the art of fly fishing or tweaking a carburetor. For my grandfather it was his profession. Opening a dental practice with my dad was undoubtedly a highlight of his life. 

I don’t fly fish, I can’t tell a carburetor from a distributor cap, and obviously didn’t join the family business, but I do have a few hopes and dreams for my own two boys. I would like them to know how to make a great sauce.

For the most part, sauce making is a lost art in the 21st Century kitchen and I hope my little guys will someday be able to whip up Eggs Benedict with a rich Hollandaise or a Rack of Lamb with a Sauce Perigueux. I’m devoting some time over the next 10-15 years to putting them through a master class in sauce making.

There is a great deal of irony in the fact that we are a sauce obsessed-people who make very few sauces at home. Wander down the grocery store isle and there is row after row of sauces. Many of us buy jarred turkey gravy even though we’re roasting our own bird and a homemade pan sauce could be made in less than five minutes.

The next few weeks in this column, I’m going to try and cover some basics of sauce making, specifically looked at the five mother sauces. These are five basic sauces from which a gazillion other sauces can be made. Yes, these recipes will take some time, but most good things in life do.

We’ll start with one of the mother sauces - béchamel and in the next few weeks move on to egg-based emulsions (like hollandaise and mayonnaise), espagnole (brown sauce), veloute (light sauces), and tomato sauce.

Béchamel may sound intimidating but if you’ve ever made sausage gravy, you’ve made something very close to a béchamel. Like all the mother sauces, it is the foundation for lots of other sauces. The basic recipe is below. This is great in lasagna (instead of ricotta), to use in scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese, and lots of other recipes.

Add some grated cheese and you’ve got a Mornay. Add heavy cream for a rich Cream Sauce. Flavoring agents like curry, dill, and mustard result in other variations. For more information about these and other variations, or if you miss a week, check out my website for the more information.

Béchamel

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3-1/2 cups milk, heated until steaming but not boiling
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add flour, whisking constantly. Continue whisking for two to three minutes. Do not let the flour turn brown.

2. While still whisking, add about two tablespoons of the hot milk.

3. Add half the remaining hot milk in small increments, whisking until a smooth paste forms.

4. Whisk in remaining milk, adding salt and nutmeg. Switch to a wooden spoon, stir, scraping the bottom and sides until the sauce is thick and creamy (about 15 minutes). If any lumps form, use the whisk. Season with pepper.

Variations and Recipes

• Here is another version of the recipe with some variations.
• Here is a great Emeril recipe for Lasagna Bolognese with Bechamel
• Here is a recipe for Cauliflower With Bechamel

Hoppin John

The following is a transcript from the December 28, 2007 Hungry Hoosier show on WIRE 91.1

This is Scott Hutcheson, the Hungry Hoosier. One of the great things about living in the melting pot is that we can borrow so freely from all the different cultures that have contributed to our country. On New Year’s Day one of my favorite imported food traditions is Hoppin John. This tradition comes from the south but its roots go even further than that - African, French, and Caribbean. Hoppin John is basically black-eyed peas and rice. On New Year’s Day it is usually served with greens and cornbread. Legend has it that eating this trio will bring good fortune in the new year - the black-eyed pea are coins, the greens cash, and the cornbread gold. I just might have a double portion this year. If you would like to get the recipe for Hoppin John, visit here.

Resolution Muffins

Originally published in sweet and sticky newspapers on January 3, 2008

Dusting off that treadmill? Trying the latest technique guaranteed to help you quite that bad habit?  Intending to get out of debt this year? Lots of us make resolutions but few of us keep them.

Richard Wiseman, a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire in the U.K., and his team has tracked more than 3,000 people attempting to achieve new year’s goals like losing weight, heading to the gym, quitting smoking, or drinking less. At the start of the project, 52% of the participants were confident of success but only 12% actually achieved their goals.

They also discovered interesting differences between men and women. Men were 22% more likely to succeed when they set specific goals for themselves, like losing a pound a week rather than losing weight in general. Also, men tended to succeed when they focused on rewards, like losing weight to become more attractive to the opposite sex.  Women were 10% more likely to be successful when they told their friends and family about their resolution, or were encouraged periodically by friends and family.

My new year’s resolution last year was to eat more slow food and less fast food. By “fast food” I mean both the kind that you get through a drive-through window and the convenience foods from the local grocery store. For the most part, I was successful at that particular resolution. For instance, as a family, we ate fewer boneless skinless chicken breasts and ate more whole chickens.

We bought several whole chickens from a local farmer and put them in the freezer. One of our frequent Sunday evening activities was to roast the whole bird, often after the kids were in bed, and then use the meat for meals the next couple of nights. The slow part of that was on Sunday night when the bird roasted for 90 minutes. For dinner the following evenings we were able to but things together pretty quickly. Relying less on restaurants and food companies to prepare your food usually results in cost savings and you know more about what you are eating.

The one area where my life is still in fast-food mode is the weekday breakfast. There’s just way too much to get done in the mornings to take time for a slow breakfast. More often than I would like, my breakfasts were either skipped or of the drive-through variety. To try and remedy that situation for 2008, I’ve added breakfast items to my Sunday night routine - cooking something that can be eaten throughout the week.

There are lots of good breakfasts that can be done in this way, like cooking a large batch of homemade, whole-grain waffles or pancakes to reheat each morning. These can be frozen, popped in the toaster, and ready in minutes. Another quick breakfast item is the egg muffin. These can be made ahead, stored in the fridge or freezer, and microwaved for a few seconds when needed. They are even convenient enough to eat on the run, when you have to. If your breakfast routine could use some improvement, here is a basic recipe for egg muffins but the variations are endless - different cheeses, meats, no meat, sautéed vegetables, etc.

Egg Muffins

• 2 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
• 1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons of green onions (green part only) sliced
• 7 eggs, beaten
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. This recipe works best with six-serving silicon muffin pan coated lightly with cooking spray and placed on a baking sheet. Divide evenly the crumbled bacon, cheese, and onions and put them in the bottom of each muffin cup. Pour salt and peppered eggs into each cup filling them 3/4 full. Use a spoon to slightly stir the contents of each cup and then place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wired rack and then store each in its own zip-top bag in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three weeks. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, heat in microwave for about 30 seconds.

White Chili

Originally published in thick and hearty newspapers on November 22, 2007

The day after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday” for retailers - supposedly the day they do so much business they finally go into the black for the year. The day before Thanksgiving just might be “Black Wednesday” for the folks in the semi-disposable plasticware business. As our Thanksgiving celebrations come to and end, we often send our guests home loaded down with blue-lidded containers of sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie, and turkey.

After giving away all that food, most of us will still be left with more leftovers than we know what to with. For me, the day after Thanksgiving is almost as big a food event as the big day itself. It’s the turkey sandwich I look forward to - so much so, that I will consume at least three turkey sandwiches on this day - one for breakfast, one for lunch, one for dinner, and perhaps another as a between-meal snack at some point.

My turkey sandwich preferences were set long ago as a kid and I don’t depart much from them. I want white bread with mayo, salt and pepper, crisp iceberg lettuce, and white meat turkey. The rest of the year I am a whole-wheat bread kind of guy and the lettuce found in my house is anything but iceberg, but for this post-Thanksgiving tradition, that’s they way I want it. I know others who put the entire Thanksgiving meal between two slices of bread - turkey, cranberry sauce, even stuffing. I figure the day after Thanksgiving is an equal opportunity sandwich day - whatever floats your boat.

Even I, however, eventually tire of leftovers. Last year I was looking for another use for the turkey and I dug through my recipe collection and found one for White Chili that I typically make with chicken. I decided that a turkey version sounded like a good way to frugally use the last of our leftovers. This turned out to be a big hit so I’ll likely make it again this year. If you find your culinary imagination stretched to the limit, try this recipe.

White Chili

• 1 pound dried Great Northern or Navy Beans, rinsed and picked over
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped mild green chilies
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 cups canned chicken broth
• 2 pounds cooked leftover turkey, chopped

Place beans in a Dutch oven or stock pot and add enough water to cover by at least three inches. Soak the beans over night. When ready to prepare the chili, drain the beans and set aside. In the Dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil to medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the unions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add green chilies, cumin, oregano, cloves, nutmeg, and cayenne and sauté an additional two to three minutes. Add the beans and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, about two hours. Add the chopped turkey and heat for an additional two to three minutes to warm the poultry. This makes about eight servings and can be served with shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.

Stuffed Monster Heads

Originally published in frighteningly good newspapers on October 25, 2007

I really love Halloween and not in a sacrifice a goat and worship-the-Dark-Lord-sort of way. My connection with Halloween, of course, begins with childhood. I have very vivid memories of our home in October - decorated with spiders, pumpkins, and skeletons. Halloween’s magical incantation lasted for me until I was about 10 or 11.

In late high school and early college I regain interest for another reason. When girls go with guys to a haunted house or watch a scary movie the guy has two things in mind: (a) darkness and (b) what he hopes is a stereotypical female response to fear - need for hugging, hand holding, and other types of comforting that requires physical contact.

I tried this on a number of occasions. It only worked once - October 31, 1986 - my date and I walked in the front door of a haunted house as brand new “friends” and we exited the back door holding hands. We got married 26 months later and I’ve not been to another haunted house since then.

After that I didn’t pay much attention to Halloween until we had kids. We now spend weeks thinking about the perfect costume, we decorate our house, and the anticipation of Halloween night is nearly as intense as that of Christmas morning. Once again, I really love Halloween. I’ve got about ten more years for this phase of my Halloween life. I’m sure there will then be a lull and then it will become interesting to me again for another reason - maybe grandkids.

We try to find lots of opportunities for Halloween-related fun in October kid-friendly spooky movies nights and some creative fun at meal time leading up to the big night. We have Halloween cookie cutters and use these for much more than cookies. A PB&J in the shape of a bat is a fun Saturday afternoon lunch. This year for dinner one night I made Stuffed Monster Heads which are really just stuffed peppers but with some creative use of olives for eyes and some other tricks, these turned out to be a big hit with our boys. Here is the recipe.

Stuffed Monster Heads

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 16-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup instant brown rice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 medium green peppers
• 1 medium red pepper
• 12 pimento-stuffed green olives
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Filling
The filling for these peppers can be made a day ahead. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the hamburger and onion. Drain off any fat and then stir into the meat and onions the tomatoes, water, rice, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Peppers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and on the stove top, bring a stock pot of water to a boil. Wash all peppers and then cut the tops off of each of the green peppers and remove the seeds and white membranes. Take the red pepper and use it to cut small shapes for what will be the mouths of the monsters. You can make two fangs for each mouth, a silly tongue or some other shape that comes to mind. You will need enough for six monster mouths. These should be on the long side because you will need to tuck them into a slot. You can also reserve the pepper stems and some of the tops you cut off to use for ears.

Place the six green peppers and the red parts in the boiling water and boil for three minutes. Remove, drain, and stuff with meat filling. On each pepper, use a paring knife to cut wholes for eyes. Holes should be slightly smaller than the green olives, poke holes for a nose and make a slit for a mouth. Push an olive into each eye hole so that the red pimento is facing out. Top each pepper with shredded cheese and put on a baking pan to bake for 30 minutes. Also put all the mouth parts and ear parts on the baking sheet to bake. Remove from the oven and put mouth and ear parts in place. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

Beyond the Pie

This week's Hungry Hoosier RadioMom radio show was about non-pie pumpkin recipes. Here are links to a three that I use frequently:

• Pumpkin French Toast
• Pumpkin Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
• Pumpkin Flatbread with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola, and Crispy Sage