Queso for Everyone! (or Just You; Your Call)

Hello friends, I'm back!! The evil scourge of my wife's finals are over and I'm able to use the computer again! Today's recipe is for chili con queso.

• 1 pound of Velveeta cheese 
• 1 can of diced tomatoes 
• 1/2 can of chipotle peppers 
• 1/2 pound of mexican chroizo sausage 
• 3 Anaheim or Poblano peppers. 
• 1 yellow onion. 
• queso fresco 
• salt
• chili powder 
• paprika 
• 2 tablespoons of oil

1. Put on skillet to to medium high heat and begin dicing onion and peppers 
2. Add oil and begin sauteing onion and pepper 
3. Add peppers and onions to a pot when the onions begin to brown and the peppers soften up. 
4. Turn heat on skillet to medium and add chorizo. 
5. When the chorizo is a darker red add to pot. 
6. Add entire can of tomatoes to pot (water and all) 
7. Turn pot to medium heat 
8. Cut cheese into small cubes and add to pot 
9. If diced tomatoes did not have chipotle peppers, add half can of chipotle peppers 
10. When cheese begin to mel,t stir occasionally until all of the cheese has melted. 
11. When the cheese is fully melted turn down heat until the cheese is at a soft simmer. 
12. Using the seasonings to taste. 
13. Shovel into face all day, and later that night, tell people at the party that you don't remember saying you'd bring a dip.

WINE PAIRING: Sauvignon Blanc (dry) or Amarone. Both wines will help accentuate the complexities of the tomatoes and the cheese combined together. The author will also admit that a margarita made with 100% agave tequila margarita will be great with this dish, and will help bring out any inner demons you might have.

For today's recipe, we take a trip across the border and into a smoke house. The chili in this queso is not ground beef but rather a type of Latin sausage, chorizo. There are different types of chorizo based on what country it comes from. The original chorizo hails from the Iberian peninsula and the country of Spain in the Rioja region (favorite wine region!). Here chorizo comes in solid sausage form and is primarily made from pork. Spanish chorizo is often eaten at room temp as tapas. Mexican chorizo has the same ingredients; however, it is ground up and has chili powder instead of paprika.  The Mexican version tends to be the spicier of the two.  

'Till next time, eat, drink, and be merry!

Cody

A Decanter Full of Bourbon Makes the Medicine Go Down!

Howdy!
  Tonight, sadly, does not come with a delicious recipe. I have been sick with the flu and the flu does not inspire great recipes that involve anything other than toast. Instead, it comes full of  boring hours doing tons of research. Yawn right? Before you close out in disgust, the information is on stuff that is actually really awesome and loved by everyone. BOURBON!!
     I am writing about the liquor of the United States. Why do I call it the liquor of the United States? Why not vodka or tequila or gin or beer or even wine? That's because to be called Bourbon it must be made with in the United States. A common misconception is that Bourbon can only be made in Bourbon County, KY, but that's nothing more than a myth; it can be made anywhere in the United States. You can follow the same recipe for making say, Maker's Mark, (kudos to Maker's for the excellent info-graphic to the left), in Canada or Japan and it must legally be called whiskey. This is agreed upon by all nations of the world, as proposed and agreed upon in 1964, during the 88th Congress that bourbon would be a "distinctive product of the United States". Crazy right?
  Where does the name Bourbon even come from? This a great question... that has many different answers. It is said that an early distiller named Jacob Spears from Bourbon County first named his product "Bourbon Whiskey", and this is where the name comes from. However, another theory (my favorite) is that the name bourbon comes from Bourbon Street, New Orleans. This is due to the fact that the whiskey from Kentucky was cheaper than French cognac. It was the street that named the liquor and not the other way around!
   So what makes bourbon Bourbon? Bourbon has to be made from at least 51% corn, no ifs, ands, or buts. The other 49% can be what ever the distiller wants to add. The common ingredients are, wheat, rye, and barley. After bourbon has been fermented, it has to be distilled to no more than 160 proof or 80% alcohol. The bourbon then must be aged in NEW charred white oak barrels at no more than 125 proof or 62.5% alcohol.The barrels are charred to release the flavors of the wood more efficiently. The distiller is allowed to add water and only water to lower the proof before barreling. Once a barrel is used, bourbon can never again be produced from that barrel. These barrels can still be used to age whiskey, beer and even rum. When aging bourbon, there is no legal time limit one must reach. However, if you age it for less than 4 years you must state exactly how long it has been aged. So when distillers say "we age our bourbon for 4 years! wow!" they are basically saying "Eh, we just do the bare minimum standard". The aging process is where bourbon gets most of its flavor. This is due to temperature changes in the weather affecting the barrels. When it is hot outside, the bourbon expands and enters the wood of the barrel. When it is cold the bourbon contracts back out of the wood, gaining flavor and color. Newer distilleries use smaller barrels to get the taste of a long aging but in shorter time. This occurs due to the smaller the barrel, the more surface area the bourbon has to interact with. During aging a certain percentage of the bourbon will evaporate. The longer the aging process, the more bourbon evaporates. This evaporation is what distillers call the " angels share" and why longer aged bourbons and scotches are more expensive: there is simply less bourbon.
    Your bourbon is aged, so now what? Here is where I believe bourbon is far superior to regular whiskey. Whatever comes out of the barrel can not be tampered with. This also allows for subtle differences in batches aged in different years. One can not add sugar for sweetness or balance, nor neutral spirits to get more mileage out of the liquor. Did you know anything labeled as whiskey only has to contain 51% whiskey? So some whiskeys that are absolutely adored contain almost as much vodka as whiskey! *Cough* Crown Royal *cough*. With bourbon being 100% whiskey, with little room for error, truly elevates bourbon above whiskey.
      Now before you set off to conquer that veritable mountain of bourbon, I'd like to offer up a few "local" offerings to try out. I highly recommend if you are in the Houston area to try Yellow Rose Distilling. They age their bourbon in 5 gallon barrels and have a recipe of 100% corn. This bourbon deserves to knock out other pretenders in your liquor cabinet. The bourbon it self is very easy to drink due to sweetness imparted by the corn.
     Garrison Brothers out of Hye, Texas, (Fredericksburg pretty much) is the first bourbon distillery in Texas. They age their bourbon in 30 gallon barrels and have a recipe of organic Texas white corn, Texas wheat and rye, (Grown on site!) and with barley from the Pacific Northwest. The rye in the bourbon gives it a nice spice to go with the nuttiness of the barley and wheat. The corn helps round it out into an excellent bourbon to bring out and show off to guests. On a side note the tour of Garrision Brothers is fantastic. Situated in the stunning hill country of Texas and sitting atop a hill, the drive out there is worth it just for the view, and not just the tour guides who heartily believe in the product.
   So there you have it, friends and reluctant followers, a short intro into the world of bourbon. I hope I have wet any appetites for the amber nectar, and have given a nice educational experience. I would absolutely love to have any conversation regarding the above material, so don't be shy!

 'Till next time, eat, drink bourbon, and be merry!

Cody

Would You Like Some Mac&Cheese with that Wine?

Four Cheese and Wine Mac&Cheese 

• 1/3 cup goat cheese 
• 1/3 feta cheese 
• 1.5/4 sharp cheddar cheese (shredded) 
• 1.5/4 Parmesan cheese ( shredded) 
• 2 cups half and half 
• 3 TBSP of flour
• 5 TBSP of butter 
• 1/2 pound thick cut bacon 
• 1 pound macaroni noodles ( or any small individual noodles you like) 
• Spices: cayenne pepper, all spice, garlic powder, oregano 
• 1 cup chardonnay 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, pre-heat skillet and put pasta on to boil. 
2.  Melt 5 tablespoons of butter into skillet
3. Mix in three tablespoons of flour, while stirring constantly. Stir until consistent blend.
4. Slowly pour in half and half while still stirring. Stir until consistent. 
5. Bring sauce to gentle boil then reduce heat until simmer. simmer for two minutes. Keep stirring.
6. Add cheeses to sauce and stir until melted. The goat cheese and feta will not melt completely, go off the cheddar and parmesan. 
7. Add spices and cup of Chardonnay and mix well. 
8. Drain pasta and add to casserole dish.
9. Mix in sauce and bacon. Mix well 
10. Sprinkle evenly, but liberally enough cheese on top to make you happy. 
11. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. 
12. Take out and post to Instagram or you know, eat it, I don't care. 

Finished product. Shout out to Torre di Pietra and their excellent Chiaro de Luna wine!

WINE PAIRING: Chardonnay 

    Never fear people, I am back to making excellent food again! I am happy to say this dish came out excellent. This dish is very creamy, but balanced by the fire of cayenne and the earthiness of the all spice. Random fact but all spice is only one spice made from the berries of the Pimenta dioica tree. It is called all spice because English explorers thought the berries had a taste of nutmeg cinnamon and cloves. This is an excellent main dish or one that could go well as side to any pork dish. The chardonnay in the dish helps as a mediator in tying everything together. For those of you worried about the goat cheese, it is very creamy taste and soft texture, nothing to exotic for most to handle.

    The wine that pairs well with this meal is an un-oaked chardonnay.  Un-oaked means that the wine was fermented in stainless steal vats rather than oak barrels. This allows for more of the grapes themselves to shine through and not compete with the tannin and flavors of oak, Chardonnay has a crisp acidity and tropical fruit that will cut the richness of the dish, while its crème brûlée notes will correspond with the creaminess of the cheese sauce.

'Till next time eat, drink, and be merry! 

Cody 

 

Blackened Rib-eyes and Brown Sugar Bacon Green Beans

Blackened Rib-eyes and Brown Sugar Bacon Green Beans

 Ingredients:

1.  2 Rib-eye steaks ( bone in or not) 
2.  2 14.5oz cans of green beans 
3. 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar 
4. 1/2 pound thick cut bacon ( cut into pieces) 
5. 2 sticks salted butter 
6. one shot of bourbon ( dealers choice here)
7.  Cayenne pepper, garlic salt, salt, and coriander 

WINE PAIRING: Cabernet Sauvignon

Directions: Steak

1. Take steaks out and let warm to room temperature.
2. Pre-heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat. 
3. Melt two sticks of butter in a microwave safe container. Mix in bourbon to melted butter 
4. Mix spices together. 
5. spread melted butter over steak and sprinkle with spices. 
6. Put buttered and spiced side of steak down on skillet 
7. On the non skillet side of steak, butter but do not spice until ready to turn over steak. 
8. After four minuted flip steak over. Cook for three minutes on other side. (This is for medium rare, aka how a steak should be cooked) 
9. Take steak steak off and let sit for at least five minutes before cutting into. 

Directions: Green Beans 

1. Cut pieces of bacon into what ever size pieces your heart desires. 
2. Cook cut pieces of bacon until 75% done. 
3. Add green beans and brown sugar. 
4. Cook until bacon is done and all green beans have an even coat of brown sugar 
5. Serve and enjoy. 

Hello all, 

I am writing today with a heavy heart. I had perfection in my hand but lost it. I had the steaks done to perfection, but the wife was running late. When the wife appeared the steaks were cooled, and this could not stand. I, in a fit of "brilliance", put the steaks back in the pan to warm them. I sadly burned the outside of the steak; but, never fear, the inside was done amazingly. So follow the directions and learn from my mistakes and you will be fine. You will be glad to know your favorite chef did not let you down completely. The green beans were a resounding success, meaning there was none left over. That has to count for something, right? 

To blacken something in cooking is to coat the desired product in an oil of some sorts then coat with seasonings and cook. This method was pioneered by renowned New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme. The reason to coat the surface of the meat in an oil before spicing the meat is due to the effect of osmosis. I will go into more detail about this in a later post. 

The wine pairing for this meal is a Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a no brainer, home-run wine pairing. Steak itself is a very palette heavy food and the Cabernet is strong enough to counter act this and cleanse your palate, so that every bite is as good as the first. The Cabernet will bring out the notes of any heat spices you use in the meat and the heaviness of the steak will bring out the fruitier notes of the wine. All in all, an excellent pairing that one can not miss. 

'Till next time, eat, drink and be merry! 

Cody 

Post Outlines

Nothing today, but tomorrow I will be back with blackened rib-eye steaks, and bacon brown sugar green beans! No, today is just a heads up for how my posts will look like. The recipe and directions will always come first. If you have ever had to trod through the six pages of a blogger housewife's plea for adult interaction, you will understand. I'm glad how easy and fast you have made your recipe, but if you explain why using an organic Himalayan yaks milk is better than regular heavy cream, go back to Pinterest.  Putting the recipe first allows you to open the page and everything be ready to go after the sixth time you've forgotten what comes next. So if you read the blog for my witty humor isms; I apologize in advance that you have to go through a recipe, on a food blog, first.
'Till next time,eat, drink, and be merry.
Cody

Hungry? Tasso Me Some Crawfish, Mister!

Crawfish & Tasso Pasta

- 6 jars of Alfredo sauce 

- 2 green bell peppers 

- 4 stalks of celery 

- 1 yellow onion 

- 2 Tbsp of garlic 

- 2 Tbsp of Oil

- One bunch of green onions. 

- (optional) one 12 oz bag of mozzarella cheese 

- 8 oz of Tasso pork 

- 16 oz of craw fish tails 

- One box of fettuccine pasta

- Tony Chachere seasoning 

- Tabasco sauce 

WINE PAIRING: Pinot Grigio 

Step one: Heat your skillet! one of the most important things you can do for all cooking. 

Step two: Chop up onions, bell peppers and celery. 

Step three: Add onions, oil and garlic to skillet and cook until light brown 

Step four: Once onions are light brown add bell peppers and celery and cook until semi soft. 

Step five: add bell peppers, onions, celery and Alfredo sauce to stock pot on medium low. 

Step six: chop Tasso into small chunks and add to oiled skillet. cook until all pieces are thoroughly done.
Step seven: Add cooked Tasso to stock pot and stir. 

Step eight: Add 16oz of crawfish tails to skillet and cook until done. (if crawfish tails were already cooked, just make sure that all of the tails are warmed and dethawed.) 

Step nine: Add craw fish to stockpot. stir and bring contents to a simmer. Add Tony Chachere's and Tabasco sauce to taste.  Cover for thirty minutes. Fifteen minutes before serving bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta. 

Step Ten: Five minutes before serving cut up green onions

 and stir into the stock pot. 

Step Eleven; (optional) when adding the green onions add the bag of mozzarella to help thicken up sauce and make it cheesy and creamier. 

Step Twelve: drain pasta in strainer.

Step Thirteen: Serve over pasta and enjoy with a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio. 

Hey there! Want a dish to impress guests and fancy enough to be seen on St. Charles Avenue? Well, look no further because you found it. This recipe combines one of the most famous ingredients in all of Cajun cooking and one some may not be familiar with: Tasso. Tasso is pork shoulder that has been seasoned and smoked. This adds a wonderful smoky (duh right?) texture to any dish. If added, Tasso works well with the sauce by balancing out the cream. When cooking with Tasso think, "Can I use a more bad ass version of bacon?" If yes, then go on ahead, son, and get to chopping. 

I found that when this dish is served to Yankees, the Tabasco sauce can be a bit to much for them. So, in order to remain a good southern host, instead of Tabasco sauce, substitute white vinegar.  This makes for a much calmer, happier supper party than if you just yell "G back up North, damn Yankees!" This, I have found, is not the best way to make friends and influence people. Vinegar makes up the bulk of Tabasco sauce anyways so you will retain the flavor, just without any of the heat. 

Pinot Grigio wine goes well here due to the light body, acidity, and fruit overtones that help cleanse your palate of the cream while helping bring out the subtler spices in the dish. 

This is it for the first episode of Contraband Cooking. Now, go out whip this up to impress friends and in-laws and always remember: drinking while cooking helps to make the food better and distractions melt like butter. 

'Till next time, drink and be merry, 

Cody