2013 LTH Picnic Recipes and Requests

This is the thread for posting recipes and requests for recipes from the 2013 picnic.

I'll get the ball rolling:

Baba Ganouj / Burnt Eggplant Dips Adapted from Jerusalem] by Ottolenghi and Tamimi
(Ingredients for each type)
2 large eggplants (about 2 lbs)
2-4 cloves garlic
4 tbs chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint, see below)
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2tsp)
Creaminess Item
Sourness Item
Garnish Item

Variations:
1) Yogurt and Preserved Lemon
Herbs: Mix parsley and cilantro
Creaminess: 2-3 Tbs greek yogurt (I've had great results even with nonfat)
Sourness and Garnish: 1 Tbs lemon juice, 3 Tbs finely diced preserved lemon

2) Pomegranate
Herbs: Mix parsley and mint
Creaminess: 5 Tbs good olive oil
Sourness: 2 Tbs lemon juice, zest of lemon, 4 tsp pomegranate molasses/syrup
Garnish: 1/2 C pomegranate seeds

3) Tahini, chile and pistachio
Herbs: Mix parsley, mint and cilantro
Creaminess: 4 Tbs Tahini
Sourness: 2 Tbs lemon juice, zest of lemon
Garnish: 1/3 C shelled pistachios, chopped and tossed with 1/2 tsp hot chile powder
Also, add 1 tsp hot chile powder to mix (I used sun-dried chimayo chile)

Instructions:
Preheat gas grill to medium-hot. Slash each eggplant 1/2-3/4" deep to allow moisture to drain during "burning"
Place eggplants on grill, turn every 5-10 minutes until skin is blackened and flaky.
Place eggplants in a collander, allow to drain and cool (note: the liquid drained is really tasty, I'd like to come up with some way of using it)
When cool, remove skins, chop roughly and allow to drain for at least two hours more
Combine all ingredients except for garnish, mash finely with a fork. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Place in a bowl and top with garnish

MUST have recipe for the Maple Bacon sticky buns- they were amazing!

If BR would be so kind as to share the recipe for the beef heart nam tok...

JoelF wrote:This is the thread for posting recipes and requests for recipes from the 2013 picnic.

I'll get the ball rolling:

Baba Ganouj / Burnt Eggplant Dips Adapted from Jerusalem] by Ottolenghi and Tamimi
(Ingredients for each type)
2 large eggplants (about 2 lbs)
2-4 cloves garlic
4 tbs chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint, see below)
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2tsp)
Creaminess Item
Sourness Item
Garnish Item

I loved these at the picnic. Thanks for sharing. I have Jerusalem, but so far have not cooked much out of it. That will have to change.

EvA wrote:

JoelF wrote:Baba Ganouj / Burnt Eggplant Dips Adapted from Jerusalem] by Ottolenghi and Tamimi...

I loved these at the picnic. Thanks for sharing. I have Jerusalem, but so far have not cooked much out of it. That will have to change.

The use of yogurt and preserved lemon is on the recipe for a fish "kebab" (more of a fritter). The pomegranate one is very similar to the "burnt eggplant spread" in the book, except for the addition of pomegranate molasses, which mostly adds some sweetness and color. According to the essay just before the burnt eggplant spread recipe, the use of tahini, according to some, changes it from "baba ganouj" to "eggplant salad". There are a lot of other tahini-laden recipes in the book, which I am anxious to try (a pumpkin spread with tahini sounds especially decadent, I'm waiting for my delicata squash to get ripe enough).

Since I was obliged to watch my intake in order to have an appetite at my surprise birthday dinner (which turned out to be Yusho!), I tasted far less than I would have wished. The coincidence of stars (and Jewish holidays) aligning seems less likely next year, so presumably I won't have to worry about being more of a pig then. However, to help hold me until then, it would be helpful if I could have recipes from (to start) 1. RAB/REB and from 2. bluepig (peanut sauce) and from 3. HelloDali's ice cream (both flavors) and 4. an enthusiastic second on the sticky buns.

Thanks to them and to all.

My kids are asking me to find out how to make the eggrolls. I am guessing that these are the same eggrolls which Helen used to bring to school. Recipe please.

It was great to meet everyone and sample the plethora of deliciousness! I will learn from my rookie mistake of not pacing myself adequately and improve upon my showing for next year, I promise!

Gypsy Boy, as requested. It's a variation of Thai and Vietnamese peanut sauce and really does have only 3 ingredients (not counting the water).

Peanut Sauce for Vietnamese Summer Rolls
1.25 cups peanut butter (I used natural, from Whole Foods or Kirkland brand, but regular peanut butter works too)
1 cup hoisin sauce
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 cup water + 1-2 tblsp to desired consistency

Blend in blender until smooth. Add coarsely chopped roasted peanuts on top for garnish and crunch. Variation: add 1 tblsp (or more) of sriracha for a little kick before blending.

I served it with the Vietnamese Summer Rolls. This iteration entailed poached shrimp, rice vermicelli, lettuce, cilantro, mint, shredded carrots, thinly sliced mangoes, and sliced cucumbers wrapped in rice paper.

shorty wrote:My kids are asking me to find out how to make the egg rolls. I am guessing that these are the same egg rolls which Helen used to bring to school. Recipe please.

Hi,

I will point this out to Helen. From having been present many times when they were assembled, there is as much technique and ingredient selection involved as recipe. What she makes is unique, because no other egg roll I've encountered is like hers.

It was fun watching her husband walk up the shelter with people grabbing those egg rolls from the tray. Gypsy Boy and I grabbed ours before giving him a label. Those egg rolls were parked next to us and disappeared very fast.

This is the exact feeding frenzy reception her egg rolls had at all those school functions. Ditto for fried won tons whenever she made them.

Regardsm

irisarbor wrote:MUST have recipe for the Maple Bacon sticky buns- they were amazing!

Thanks! I confess that I'm a bit embarrassed to post the recipe because I found it just by googling "bacon sticky buns." I selected this particular preparation because I thought it made good use of the leftover bacon fat. A recipe that doesn't shy away from bacon fat tends to be a recipe you can trust, right?

You can find the recipe I used here.

The dough preparation was tedious and time consuming (letting it rise 3 times); I imagine you could get a fine result without the hassle by using pre-made dough from the store instead. The rest was simple. My only alteration was adding 1/3 cup of bourbon with the cream and maple syrup.

I've never smelled anything better than these sticky buns straight out of the oven!

Yum and thanks to Cathy and everyone who makes this one of the best afternoons of the year!

I would LOVE the recipe for:
1. the little colorful Italian layered almond petit fours.
2. avocado soup
3. the best PIZZA dough ever!

Thanks,
Nancy

In case anyone was interested, here is my recipe for the al pastor!

The Meat:

There are, in my opinion, 2 distinct types of Al Pastor, one being chunkier and more tender, the other style being more ham or bacon like with a firmer texture, usually saltier, and sliced thinly off the trompo. Last time I used shoulder meat. I really like both styles, so this time I decided to go with leg (ham) meat, to go for the firmer type. I also decided to cure it to hopefully keep it from becoming too dry during cooking and to ensure that desired texture. I purchased the meat from Harvestime. At only $1.89/lb boneless, I wondered if I should trust the quality, then I though to myself this is exactly what they're using at all of our favorite taco stands, I'm going for authentic here... Figuring the leg meat may be too lean on its own I added about 10 extra lbs of fat sliced from an Iowa Swabian Hall hog that I saved from a previous pig roast.

THE RECIPE

Slice the meat into 1cm slices in preparation for the brine/cure.

The Brine:

7.5oz smoked sea salt (it is certainly unnecessary to use smoked salt, I just happened to have it on hand because I just smoked about 20lbs of sea salt.)
2oz pink curing salt #1
1.25 gallons water
few hunks of ginger sliced thin

Heat salt with ginger until dissolved. Chill with ice to achieve 1.25 gallons chilled brine. Submerge the slices in brine then refrigerate for 24 hours.

The next day, remove meat from brine, rinse and let stand in colander to dry a bit. If desired, separate meat into different size batches to aid in the trompo assembly later.

The Spice Mixture:

All spices should be purchased whole and fresh. Toast in oven on 300 for 10 minutes to dry, then freshly crushed or blended to form powders. Quantities measured in powder form.

6 tbsp chipotle pepper powder
5 tbsp ancho pepper powder
3 tbsp guajillo pepper powder
4 tbsp cinnamon
1.5 tbsp clove
0.5 tbsp star anise
1 tbsp fantasma (dried ghost) pepper
adjust this one to desired spiciness, as it adds the most kick of all of all the peppers
2 tbsp annato seed
2 tbsp brown sugar

Bloom the spices in enough corn oil to form a thick paste, then add water to achieve desired consistency, just thin enough to easily spread across the meat but not at all watery. Coat the slices of meat evenly with the paste. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

The next day , assemble the meat starting with the smallest pieces on the bottom, getting larger as you go up. Once you are about ½ way done, trim the sloppy looking slices off, in attempt to form a smooth round trompo shape. You can place the chopped off pieces and other scraps in between future larger layers. As the trompo congeals and cooks it will hold these stray pieces easily in place. Repeat the process until you have a nice “top” shape trompo. Wrap in plastic wrap then refrigerate another 24 hours to solidify the meat mass.

Cooking:

Cook on vertical spit. I cooked it on my homemade rig using logs to get a nice hot flame going. On my first attempt I tried to use charcoal only, but with the way my rig was setup, that was not quite hot enough so I had to add wood to get flames going. Slice as the meat looks and feels fully cooked. It’s easy enough to notice when the meat isn't quite ready, in which case I would chop it off and set it on the lower tray to continue to cook.

I sincerely hope more people try this at home or for a party! As ambitious as it may seem, it doesn't more effort than many other dishes that people do every day. Feel free to PM me to borrow my homemade rig, I did save it and would love to see my efforts go to good use!



Last thing I have to say, forget the pineapple! That is disgusting on al pastor! If the al pastor needs the pineapple, it's trying to hide something. Also I would never use any "tenderizers" such as fruit juice or vinegar mixed into the meat marinade. If you prepare and cook the meat properly, this should never be necessary, no matter if you're using leg or shoulder meat.

Beef heart nam tok

This dish can really be made with any flavorful cut of beef (or pork). But beef heart is just such a flavorful cut of beef that stands up well to the strong flavors of this dish, and it's very lean (okay, very inexpensive too). If you'd like to pick up beef heart, just call Butcher & Larder in advance (they may need a week notice because they don't get many) . . . they'll even trim it to your specs.

Also, nam tok and larb are almost identical so you can grind up your favorite meat, maybe add offal, and voila, larb and not nam tok.

For the picnic, I grilled 3 pounds of beef heart but for these purposes I'll assume 1 pound of beef.

** Recipes vary and many don't call for marinating the beef, but I marinaded the beef heart for about 3 hours.

The marinade:

1 T lime juice
1 T fish sauce
1 T + 1 t tamarind water (buy some tamarind paste/pulp and heat with water, stir, strain, and you'll have tamarind water)
a few chopped Thai bird chiles


The salad ingredients:

4 red shallots, sliced lengthwise (Thai shallots tend to be much smaller, so if you purchase larger ones, use much less) - I found the smaller shallots at the Green City Market, but many Asian markets sell smaller shallots too.
1/4 cup chopped green onions (I used 2:1 green versus white)
2+ T cilantro (I used leaves only, though some recipes call for stems too)
2+ T spearmint (some recipes totally eliminate cilantro & sawtooth coriander, but I think the combination is excellent)
2+ T sawtooth coriander (I couldn't find and substituted culantro)
1+ T ground, roasted Thai chiles (Ot Kho)
2+ T ground roasted rice powder (roast sticky/glutinous rice in a saute pan over medium heat, shaking pan constantly, until rice golden and fragrant; cool and grind in spice grinder, and pass through sieve . . . never fun when grains are too large and crack your teeth; rice powder can be frozen/refrigerated and saved)
2+ T fish sauce
2+ T lime juice

Mix all of the above together well, except only half of the roasted, ground rice. I always start by using a little less than the quantities stated above, tasting, and then balancing flavors - salty, spicy, sour, funky, herbaceous, and nuttiness from the rice.

Grill the beef (1 pound), preferably to medium rare, then allow to rest before slicing (if needed), then mix beef (with its juices) with salad ingredients (adjust flavors if desired), sprinkle remaining rice powder on top, then sprinkle with a little more cilantro, spearmint and sawtooth coriander (or substitute). The salad should be served warm and is traditionally served with crunchy vegetables (I used cabbage and cucumber, but green beans also very common). Also, serve with extra roasted, ground chile pepper to suit personal tastes. The salad is not typically served with fresh Thai bird chiles, but who cares.

I'll add that I'd like to see Cabbagehead's challah recipe . . . I have a couple but would love to compare and hers was terrific.

BR wrote:2+ T spearmint (some recipes totally eliminate cilantro & sawtooth coriander, but I think the combination is excellent)
2+ T sawtooth coriander (I couldn't find and substituted culantro)

For me, Nam Tok is all about the cilantro... can't imagine it without it.

But I thought that culantro is sawtooth coriander. Do you know what the species are?

BR wrote:I'll add that I'd like to see Cabbagehead's challah recipe . . . I have a couple but would love to compare and hers was terrific.

I am happy to oblige, BR, and am so pleased you liked it. (I actually made the challah.) No doubt to many out there this will be heresy, but I make the challah dough in my 20-year-old bread machine. So the recipe would have to be tweaked if you were to make it by hand.

Honey Raisin Challah
¾ cup raisins
¾ cup hot water
3 ¼ - 3 ½ cups bread flour* (start with smaller amount)
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 large or extra-large eggs
½ - 5/8 cup cool water (use smaller amount with extra-large eggs)
¼ cup vegetable oil (safflower or canola)
¼ cup good honey
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast for bread machine, such as Fleishmann’s
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Soak raisins in hot water for about 30 minutes or until plump. Drain and dry thoroughly with paper towel.

Put dry and wet ingredients--and the yeast--in machine in the order specified for your machine. My venerable Panasonic wants the dry first. Start with the smaller amount of flour and hold back the final ¼ cup to see how the dough comes together. If your eggs are larges, use the larger amount of water. You can check the dough as the machine starts to knead it for a good consistency—not too sticky, not too wet. I usually end up adding some of the held-back flour, if not all, especially on a humid day.

Add the raisins in the last few minutes of the kneading period. If you put them in to begin with, they will be chopped up and spread throughout the dough. This tastes fine but looks a bit odd. You can also just take the dough out at the end of the first kneading and press the raisins in.

When the dough cycle is completed, form the dough. You can do a traditional braided loaf by dividing in three pieces, rolling it into snakes, and braiding. For this challah, I like to do a holiday round loaf. Roll the dough into one long, tapered rope, perhaps 16-18 inches long. Holding the rope by the narrow end, coil it around the thicker end and then tuck the narrow end into the coil (or under it). Place loaf on a parchment-covered baking sheet.

Let loaf rise in a warm place (I light my oven briefly and put it in there) until about doubled, about 45 – 60 minutes.

Beat egg with water and brush egg glaze on.

Bake at 375° for 35 – 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

*You can also use all-purpose flour in this recipe.

Yoland Cannon: (773) 809-2412

Also for those that got to try the thumb juice. Its a combo of Black tea, frozen lemonade concentrate and ginger ale. The name comes from the fact my grandma served it from a punch bowl out of a coffee mug. Her thumb went in it every-time she scooped a cup out for someone else. Great meeting everyone I hadn't and sorry I didn't get to meet all, hopefully next year. Big thanks to Cathy2.

JoelF wrote:

BR wrote:2+ T spearmint (some recipes totally eliminate cilantro & sawtooth coriander, but I think the combination is excellent)
2+ T sawtooth coriander (I couldn't find and substituted culantro)

For me, Nam Tok is all about the cilantro... can't imagine it without it.

But I thought that culantro is sawtooth coriander. Do you know what the species are?

Funny, I thought they were the same too, but I'm finding conflicting information. In any event, while I love cilantro in the dish, I think the combination of herbs really brings it to a different level.

EvA wrote:

BR wrote:I'll add that I'd like to see Cabbagehead's challah recipe . . . I have a couple but would love to compare and hers was terrific.

I am happy to oblige, BR, and am so pleased you liked it. (I actually made the challah.)

Sorry about that - in any event, it was terrific.

A nice discussion of the various Viet 'corianders' is here.

Geo

Geo wrote:A nice discussion of the various Viet 'corianders' is here.

Geo

OK, only one herb there that's saw-toothed, and it's culantro, so we're back to square one.

That's a useful link, though: Ba Om is probably what David Thomson calls "cumin leaf" in a couple recipes. I could not find it by that name, but I might be able to find Ba Om in one of the Argyle/Broadway grocers.

The larger nurseries up here sell rau ram every Spring in pots. It's pretty potent stuff, with interesting flavors.

Geo

laikom,
Thanks for posting the Al Pastor recipe. I am truly sorry I missed seeing (and tasting) this creation in person. I have a couple of questions for the creator. First, does the shape of the Trompo actually serve a purpose? Does the narrow part near the bottom of the trompo cook faster than the fat part? Seems like it would. Secondly, that is an interesting choice of spices (the clove and anise), is that typical spicing? Either way, it sounds delicious. Did you use the packaged dried spices from a Mexican grocery? I have never heard of the fantasma pepper.

laikom wrote:Last thing I have to say, forget the pineapple! That is disgusting on al pastor! If the al pastor needs the pineapple, it's trying to hide something. Also I would never use any "tenderizers" such as fruit juice or vinegar mixed into the meat marinade. If you prepare and cook the meat properly, this should never be necessary, no matter if you're using leg or shoulder meat.

Yeah, I have found that any pork that comes in contact with pineapple juice turns to mush. That is why I have always questioned the use of pineapple with Al Pastor. I happen to like the flavor of piña with pork, but I would add it just before serving to avoid the pork pudding effect.

Hi, thanks for the questions.

I'm not completely sure about the shape, but the bottom did cook much, much faster than the top part. I'm not sure if that was more due to the location of the heat or the thickness.

A lot of recipes I have seen do have clove and cinnamon, but I don't exactly recall what prompted me to put a tiny bit of anise in it. It was a small enough amount that it may have added some complexity but i doubt anyone would have pinpointed the source. My goal with those spices was to add some perceived sweetness to the spice profile without the need for more sugar.

The spices were all packaged from the grocery. The fantasma peppers were a dried ghost pepper. It was the first time I had seen them at a mexican store. I added them for an easy and unique spice kick. Also the name is pretty cool.

I am surprised that nobody requested the recipe for the Vietnamese Pork sliders from REB/RAB. I'd love that!

Thanks to those who have posted so far. BR- I now know what to do with the beef heart I have sitting in my freezer. I'm eager to have an occasion to put together a DIY trompo, since laikom makes it look manageable.

I'm wondering about CrazyC's whelk recipe. Not at all sure I could find whelks in St. Louis, but I think the whelk preparation and buckwheat noodles would be excellent with littleneck clams.

Thanks to Wiki, I found out that Ghost Chilis are Bhut Jolokia peppers, weighing in at 855,000 to 1,000,000 scovilles or 400 times as strong as a tabasco.

d4v3 wrote:

laikom wrote: The fantasma peppers were a dried ghost pepper.

Thanks to Wiki, I found out that Ghost Chilis are Bhut Jolokia peppers, weighing in at 855,000 to 1,000,000 scovilles or 400 times as strong as a tabasco.

They were pretty dang hot, which is why 1 tbsp for the entire 35lb trompo was what gave it most of its spicy kick. Surprisingly though I tasted some of the ground up powder straight, and while it packed a lot of heat, it wasn't piercing like some peppers can be, it was quite a smooth pleasant type of spice.

laikom wrote:I am surprised that nobody requested the recipe for the Vietnamese Pork sliders from REB/RAB. I'd love that!

Thanks for the kind words and sorry for the slow response. Here it is:

2.5 lbs coarsely ground, extra fatty pork
2 tbsp shallots, finely diced
1 heaping tbsp fresh grated ginger
3 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp Sriracha
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dried lemongrass
1 tbsp coconut nectar

Combine, pack into loose patties, grill quickly over very hot coals.

I garnished with cilantro, jalapeno, pickled daikon and carrot (bought from Nhu Lan), and a mayo that I made from egg yolk, grapeseed oil, fish sauce, lime juice, and ginger.

--Rich