Turkish Yogurt Marinated Chicken

This recipe is another hoisted shamelessly from the folks at WorldWide Recipes (as linked in previous posts), and I refer to it as 'Turkish' because that was their term for it. I question how Turkish it is, but that really wasn't the point anyway. Below, I've listed my slightly modified version.

Marinade:
2 cups (500 ml) plain yogurt
1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil
3 Tbs (45 ml) lemon juice
1 onion, finely chopped
2-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
A good couple squirts of hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Protein:
6-8 pieces of chicken (about 1.5lbs, I think)

Mix all ingredients in a zip-top bag or sealable bowl and add the chicken. Shake about some to make sure the chicken gets coated and refrigerate for 6-12 hours (I just stuck it in for 24; I don't think it hurt anything).

Now, since I seem to have forgotten to get a picture of the marinade or the chicken prior to cooking, I'll just move along to cooking. I used an outdoor grill for this recipe, and in retrospect, I wouldn't recommend it again. This would probably be better baked at 350-400F, as I think the gentler cooking process would help the marinade adhere better to the meat. Regardless, I grilled it for ... well, until it was done, flipping once to ensure proper doneness.

Ok, so it may not look particularly appetizing here. It still tasted good. Besides, chicken thighs are hard to cook prettily.

After the chicken finishes cooking, let it cool for a bit and salt to taste. The end-product of my version didn't have much in the way of residual marinade on it, as you can see:

As you can see in the top-right corner, I served this with the leftover garlic bread from my Brazilian Lime Marinated Salmon.

Lessons learned:
As I mentioned previously, I wouldn't grill the chicken next time. The chicken was very moist, but didn't carry the depth that the marinade seemed to suggest (the marinade itself smelled wonderful). I might also consider adding an herb garnish (basil or rosemary) for a bit of added flavor at the end.

Cakey Brownies (revisited)

As I mentioned in my previous brownie attempt, while the last batch turned out OK, it wasn't what I was looking for. After some further research (read: more watching TV), I reworked my procedure and modified the recipe slightly, with a significantly improved result. It's worth noting that I remain steadfastly loyal to my base recipe simply because a large part of this experiment is for me to determine exactly which ingredients have which effects. By keeping as many variables as I can static between attempts, I'm gaining great insight into the "why" of my results, which has thus far proved invaluable, even with only two attempts.

Random ramblings aside, my intent with this recipe was to fix the flavor (less sweet, more chocolate), reduce cakiness a bit, and improve moisture (last batch was rather dry, plus crunchy topping). I feel that I accomplished each goal, and while the recipe is still not quite there yet, it's definitely improving with practice.

Software:
1/2tsp baking powder
3/4c natural cocoa powder
2/3c butter, melted (modified from softened)
1/2c cold milk (modified from hot water)
2c white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3c all-purpose flour
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4tsp salt

Hardware:
Still used stand mixer with paddle attachment
Mixed dry in separate bowl first

Mix the eggs for a few moments on medium speed in the mixer. Once they are blended together and the mixture is somewhat lightened, add the milk on low speed. After a few moments, slowly add the dry mixed ingredients, still on low (I stayed on low for the remainder of this recipe, learning from my previous results). Once the dry ingredients have mostly mixed in, slowly add the melted butter and let it mix for about 5 minutes. The final batter should look like this semi-blurry image (stupid mixer):

You may notice that it still seems a bit fluffy. This is fine, as the recipe will probably be adjusted in the next draft to compensate for this.

Pour and spread the batter evenly into a 9x9 metal pan (I prefer metal for brownies, but glass or ceramic will also work in a pinch). As shown below, after the batter has been spread in the pan, it looks a bit less fluffy.

Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a slight brownish tinge at the bottom.

These brownies sliced a lot better than the last batch since the top wasn't nearly as crunchy.

Lessons learned:
Lower speed definitely helped, and I think mixing the ingredients in a different order made a significant difference. These brownies were almost right, but still slightly too fluffy; it comes across more as "devil's food" cake than cakey brownies (a fine distinction, but I feel that there is one). Potential changes? I suspect next time I'll revert back to using baking soda, and I may add another egg. Moisture was perfect for this version, so I probably won't change much.

Salmon with Brazilian Garlic and Lime Marinade

In my ongoing attempt to find random recipes to inspire my generally uninspired palate, I stumbled across Worldwide Recipes and signed up for their mailing list. The intent was for them to provide me with ideas, as I rarely come up with them on my own. This serves the dual purpose of pushing me to experiment with new flavors as well as preventing me from eating sandwiches 5 nights a week.

The recipes provided by the list so far have been surprisingly accessible and, perhaps more importantly, quite global in theme. Last week's theme was "marinades and sauces", and I copied at least two of them down for future use (more on the second coming soon). I made small modifications to the mixing of the ingredients, so my recipe is below. This version turned out very nice, but rather overpowering for salmon (or indeed, most any fish that I can think of; it might pair well with swordfish, or something with a *very* distinct flavor to it) as the lime comes through quite strongly. My roommate and I agreed it would go much better with a more "robust" meat--oddly, we both agreed that lamb would be the best choice, so I may give that a shot sometime in the future.

Brazilian Garlic and Lime Marinade

4-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) coarse salt
3/4 cup (180 ml) lime juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry white wine
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh parsley
2 scallions (spring onions), green and white parts,
finely chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) chopped fresh rosemary
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce to taste (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a plastic zip-top bag or a bowl that has a lid and set the meat in it to marinate. For fish (fillets especially, as I was using), I'd suggest marinating no longer than 30-60 minutes, as the fish can get rubbery from the acids. For red meat, you could probably marinate for up to 6-8 hours, depending on the thickness of the cut and how tender you like the meat. I generally set steaks to marinate overnight anyway, so 18-24 hours might be OK, but I haven't tried it myself with this particular marinade.


After marinating the salmon, broil for about 20 minutes or until the color has changed from a solid pink to a somewhat muted peachish, depending on the thickness of the fillets (mine were about 3/4in. thick, and came out just about perfect) and salt to taste. I garnished it with remnants of the marinade as well as a sage chiffonade for a little extra zing.


The sage was probably unnecessary, as it got rather overwhelmed by the very strong lime flavor. I served the salmon with some garlic bread, which actually helped keep the lime from overpowering things, so it made a surprisingly good side dish. It would also pair well with other salty foods: perhaps some potatoes au gratin, asparagus simmered in butter, or wild rice.

Lessons learned:
Not a lot of lessons, so much as modifications for next time. Perhaps this would be better titled "future improvements". Regardless, I would probably actually cut the lime juice down to 1/2c and add 1tbsp of Worcestershire sauce for some added salt, but that probably detracts from the Brazilian theme. Also, as I mentioned before, I would definitely use this with a stronger meat, such as lamb or beef (or perhaps buffalo, but that's not really my taste, and I don't know how many buffalo are left roaming about the broad open plains of Brazil). As a final addition, I would add a bit more spice to the marinade; I was somewhat shy with my rooster sauce this time, and it didn't really come through at all. Cayenne pepper might have been a bit stronger.

Cakey Brownies

This recipe (hoisted and modified for my own designs from Shari's blog) represents an experiment--a building block in the foundation of my baking experience. With the recent acquisition of my KitchenAid mixer, I have developed a fascination with the chemistry behind all things baked. That said, my experiments generally end with somewhat underwhelming results, but I suppose that's the idea in the first place.

In this case, I wanted brownies that were significantly cakier than the fudgey ones produced by the aforementioned recipe. Not that I have any problem with fudgey brownies--far from it; I love Shari's recipe and as such, decided to use it as the base for my modifications. My ultimate purpose in this endeavor was to achieve at least one of two ends: 1) Determine how the amount of each ingredient affects the overall result and 2) Get me my cakey brownies. I have gained some insight into the first, but future posts will have to take care of the second.

Software:
1/2tsp Baking powder (modified from soda, to aid poofiness)
1/3c Natural cocoa powder (not dutch cocoa! Results in overly-sweet brownies, in my opinion. Also, this ingredient was short-changed due to my running out of it and having to improvise)
2 cubes semisweet baker's chocolate, melted (semisweet is too sweet, in retrospect)
2/3c butter, softened
1/2c hot water
2c white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3c all-purpose flour
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4tsp salt

Hardware:
Medium mixing bowl, for dry ingredients
KitchenAid mixer, with paddle attachment
Spatula for bowl scraping
Fork for mixing dry stuff

Preheat:
325F (future recipes will modify this to 350F)

As Shari's recipe provides a dense block of chocolatey goodness, I decided (in retrospect, unadvisedly) to add puffiness in as many different aspects as I could to see how things turned out. As such, I started out by creaming the butter and sugar together on medium speed. While this was going on, I mixed all the dry ingredients in the bowl with the fork (and, of course, I discovered I was short on chocolate and had to melt up some baker's cubes instead). Once the creaming was well underway, I added the eggs, making sure the first one was completely mixed in before adding the second. Once both eggs were integrated, I reduced the speed of the mixer to the lowest setting and added the water and vanilla. I gradually brought the speed back up to medium once the stuff wasn't threatening to slosh out of the bowl.

At this point, I had to add my melted chocolate to be blended into the goo, which was followed quickly by the dry ingredients. I tend to mix the dry stuff in slowly (and at low speed, mind you) due to a combination of wanting it to get mixed properly and having a bowl that doesn't pour well into the mixer bowl. After the dry was mixed in, I brought the speed back up to medium for a bit (probably the key bad idea in this experiment, as seen below) until I was satisfied. At this point, I took a picture:

Note that the thing appears to resemble whipped chocolate frosting as opposed to brownie batter--a result of very much overmixing, I have to guess. Regardless, I dumped it into the pan to see what the end result would be. I baked it at 325F for approximately 40 minutes before checking on it and determining that the center was still just about raw. All in all, I baked it for 70 minutes before a toothpick would come out clean, The final result:

As my thumb indentation at the bottom shows, the top is extremely dry and crusty, due to the long time at a somewhat low temperature. While this is not bad (actually, my coworkers complimented the contrasting textures of the crunch and the soft interior), it wasn't what I was going for. That said, the project taught me much about brownies themselves, and I look forward to building upon the experience.

Lessons learned:
One of my more educational projects thus far, I must admit.

1. The "brownies" came out dry and crispy, so I'll increase the temperature in future experiments.
2. The end product was too sweet, without enough chocolate flavor. I attribute this to an abundance of sugar, partially due to the semisweet baker's chocolate. I suspect a recipe with pure natural cocoa powder will have a better balance of flavors.
3. Too much like cake--although this was expected, I now have my ideas as to why this is so. For my next attempt, I plan to still use the mixer and baking powder, but I will keep the mixer at its lowest speed and add the ingredients in a different order.

Note: After discussion with Shari and some further research, Dutch process cocoa is not actually sweeter than natural cocoa, but it *does* have lower acidity and less "chocolate" flavor to it. Thus, while my original rationale for using natural powder was flawed, I still feel that it is the best choice for brownies, as I want a very strong chocolate flavor out of it.

Apple Cole Slaw

Despite the fact that many barbecue lovers would claim that good ribs can stand alone, I determined that at least one vegetable dish must be provided as an accompaniment to my previously-posted braised ribs. This assertion in combination with the head of cabbage sitting in my refrigerator produced the idea of one of my favorite vegetable dishes of my younger years: cole slaw.

Having never actually scrapped together my own version of the stuff, I decided that some research was in order. I drew inspiration from this recipe as well as several sources at FoodTV.com before finally settling on an amalgamation of all that I had found. Since I wanted a sweeter slaw, the apples (which I happened to also have in the fridge) would work perfectly for my meal with only slight modifications.

Ingredients:
1 medium head green cabbage, shredded (note: I picked a smallish one, as the smaller heads tend to be sweeter)
2 red delicious apples, diced
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/6 c brown sugar
1/6 c white sugar
2 tbsp lime juice (I didn't have any lemon on hand)
1 medium carrot, shredded (optional)
1 small onion, sliced into half-rings (optional)

Hardware:
1 medium mixing bowl

After chopping up all my ingredients in a flurry of frantic sweeps of a knife (with only minor cuts to myself, I might add), I swept them all aside to mix the sauce. (I used 1 of the tablespoons of lime juice on the diced apples to prevent browning before starting the sauce. While this step isn't necessary for the flavor, it certainly looks prettier).

Note: Before starting the sauce, I put the shredded cabbage into a colander and sprinkled it lightly with salt to help drain some of the moisture out. After 20-30 minutes, the cabbage still looks great, but has lost a fair amount of liquid. In my experience, this results in a less juicy slaw, but this step can be skipped for those who are in a hurry. As a bonus, this meant that I didn't have to add any salt to the recipe itself.

In the mixing bowl, dump the mayo, sugars, and remaining lime juice in and stir it up until you have a relatively uniform beige paste in the bowl. Drop the paste on top of the veggies and mix thoroughly (I used my hands for this step, but for the more squeamish about making a mess, a spatula works just as well). Cover and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving.

Lessons learned:
Hard to say; this recipe turned out fairly tasty, as far as I'm concerned. Next time I might increase the ratio of apples to cabbage; the apples were somewhat sparse as far as I'm concerned. Otherwise, a quick and easy recipe that I'd highly recommend.

Braised Pork Ribs

The secret to quality ribs, be they pork or otherwise, has eluded me for years. Each time I attempt to cook them, I wind up with a discouraging half-success, in that I have a concoction that's technically edible, but not quite what I'm looking for. Consequently, I pick them up once or twice a year to reattempt, only to come out of the experience discouraged and vowing to get my rib fix at a proper barbecue restaurant henceforth.

True to form, this attempt was little different. Several lessons learned, but I'll have to wait until the next time I feel so inspired to try and remedy the issues noted below. The recipe follows (as appropriated somewhat shamelessly from "Good Eats"):

Rub:
8 parts brown sugar
3 parts salt (I'd recommend reducing this to 2 parts, if not 1.5)
1 part blended cumin, anise, fennel, cayenne
1 part miscellaneous etc.
--Misc: 2 parts onion powder, 1 part garlic powder, 2 part chile powder, 1/2 part cinnamon, 1/2 part ginger powder, 2 parts italian herb, 2 part chinese 5-spice powder

Meat:
1 rack of pork spareribs

Braising liquid:
1/2 cup white wine (Gewurtz or pinot grigio work well for this; chardonnay not recommended, but it'll do)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Sauce:
Store-bought barbecue sauce of your choosing

Hardware:
1 baking sheet
1 piece of wide aluminum foil (long enough to hold the ribs)
1 microwave safe bowl/container

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Place the foil on the baking sheet, then the ribs on the foil. Mix all the rub ingredients together thoroughly and sprinkle very liberally over both sides of the ribs, patting it down to ensure proper surface contact. After applying the seasoning, make sure that the ribs are convex-side up (i.e., standing on the tips of the ribs, not resting on the rounded portion) and wrap it up in the foil. Refrigerate the newly-rubbed ribs for at least an hour (recommended: let it sit overnight).

After letting the ribs set for a while, you can start to make the braising mixture. In the microwave-safe bowl, mix the white wine, honey, worchestershire, and crushed garlic. Microwave the mixture on high for 30 seconds or so to ensure that the honey dissolves properly. Next, remove the ribs from the fridge and open up one end of the foil covering. Pour the mixture into the opening and tilt the ribs slightly to ensure that the liquid gets distributed properly. Reseal the foil opening and place the ribs on the middle rack of the oven. Let cook for ~2 hours, smelling the oven periodically to make sure you don't smell anything burning.

Remove the ribs and set the oven to broil. Let the ribs cool for a few minutes (and drain the braising liquid), then open up the foil and brush on your sauce. Place the ribs under the broiler (without closing the foil) for up to 30 seconds--watch carefully, as the sauce will burn very quickly. Once the sauce has caramelized, remove the ribs and let them cool again. Slice into desired portions and serve with napkins.

Lessons learned:
In retrospect, the spice rub utilizes too much salt; I'd subsequently reduce it to 2 parts instead of 3. The spices add a great flavor, and could probably be increased to make up the missing part. Outside of that, the recipe wasn't bad at all. The sauce was originally supposed to be made from a reduction of the braising liquid, but while I was attempting that, my smoke alarm started going off and I decided to forgo that this time and get this over with.