Tamales

Ganked from Allrecipes.com

4 pounds boneless chuck roast

4 clovesgarlic

3 (8 ounce) package sdried corn husks

4 dried ancho chiles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon white vinegar

salt to taste

3 cupslard

1 tablespoon salt

9 cups masa harina

 

Directions

1. Place beef and garlic in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Let simmer for 3 1/2 hours, until beef is tender and shreds easily. When beef is done, remove from pot, reserving 5 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Allow meat to cool slightly, and shred finely with forks.
2. Meanwhile, place corn husks in a large container and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 3 hours, until soft and pliable. May need to weight down with an inverted plate and a heavy can.
3. Toast ancho chiles in a cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in ground chiles, cumin seeds, ground cumin, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar and salt. Stir shredded beef into skillet and cover. Let simmer 45 minutes.
5. Place lard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add masa harina and beat at low speed until well mixed. Pour in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough.
6. Drain water from corn husks. One at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale and tie with a piece of butchers' twine.
7. Place tamales in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water for approximately one hour, until masa is firm and holds its shape. Make sure steamer does not run out of water. Serve immediately, allowing each person to unwrap their own tamales. Allow any leftovers (still in husks) to cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator.

Emeril's KickedUp Spinach Artichoke Dip

From Parade Magazine:
ingredients: 

2 (10-oz) packages fresh spinach, well rinsed, stems trimmed
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup (6 1/2 oz) 1/2-inch cubes Brie cheese, rind removed
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 (6 1/2-oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 strips crisp fried bacon, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Assorted chips, such as pita, tortilla, and bagel chips, for dipping

 

At a glance:Servings: 8
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 30 min

 

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch round ovenproof baking dish and set aside.

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add spinach in batches and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Squeeze to remove excess water. Chop and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a medium pot on medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Add milk and cream in a steady stream and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add cooked spinach and lemon juice and stir to incorporate. Add Brie and Monterey Jack, artichoke hearts, and bacon; stir well. Remove from heat and pour into prepared baking dish. Top with Parmesan and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot with chips.

Emeril's Gumbo YaYa

From Parade Magazine:
ingredients: 

1 (6-lb) roasting chicken or 2 (3-lb) chickens
8 cups water
2 medium yellow onions, quartered
2 ribs celery, each cut into 6 pieces
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 lb andouille or other smoked sausage, finely chopped, plus 1 lb smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 Tbsp chopped green onion or scallion (green parts only)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
Cooked rice (optional)

At a glance:Servings: 10
Active Time: 35 min
Total Time: 4 hr 35 min

 

directions:1. In a large, heavy pot, combine chicken, water, onions, celery pieces, bay leaves, 1 Tbsp salt, and 1 tsp cayenne. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and cook, partly covered, until chicken is tender, about 2 hours. Remove chicken. Strain and reserve broth.

2. In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine oil and flour. Stirring slowly and constantly, cook over medium heat to make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate, 20 to 25 minutes. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and sausage. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add reserved broth and stir until roux mixture and broth are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, remove skin from chicken and meat from bones, discarding skin and bones. Coarsely chop chicken. Add chicken and sliced sausage to gumbo. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before skimming off fat. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Stir in green onion and parsley. Top with rice, if desired.

Emeril's Columbia Street Grinder

From Parade Magazine:
ingredients:

4 (6-inch) loaves Portuguese stick bread or Italian or French loaves
Balsamic-Herb Vinaigrette
8 oz sliced provolone cheese
8 oz sliced mortadella
8 oz sliced spicy ham, such as capicola
8 oz sliced salami
1 large ripe tomato, cut into 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
12 thin onion slices
12 jarred hot or sweet cherry peppers, drained and roughly chopped
2 cups torn green-leaf lettuce

 

At a glance:Servings: Makes 4 sandwiches
Active Time: 10 min
Total Time: 10 min

 

directions:1. Cut loaves of bread in half lengthwise; arrange in a single layer, cut sides up. Liberally brush bread with vinaigrette. On bottom half of each loaf, evenly layer 1/4 of the provolone, followed by 1/4 of the mortadella, 1/4 of the spicy ham, and 1/4 of the salami. Top each with 2 tomato slices and 3 onion slices. Divide cherry peppers among sandwiches. Stir vinaigrette and generously drizzle over onion and tomato.

2. In a small bowl, toss torn lettuce with some of remaining vinaigrette. Divide lettuce among sandwiches, top with other halves of bread, and serve.

Hangar Steak Goulash

Ganked from Bridgid

You can make this up to go in the crock pot in just a few minutes, after you fry up a few pieces of bacon for breakfast and it will be ready when most of you get home from work.
1 and 1/2  pound hangar steak.
1  cup dry white wine
7-8  pieces of bacon, four cooked just tender, the remainder cooked crispy for garnish. Save a little bit of the drippings.
2 small cans tomatoes (with juice)
3 celery hearts, chopped (not diced fine)
3/4 large sweet onion sliced
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Jane's Krazy Salt  (Moody's sells it but the website is here. )
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (or 3 cloves)
1  and 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons HOT Hungarian paprika
Marinate the hangar steak in  a zip lock bag in dry white wine for a few hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator.  Remove meat, reserving 1/2 cup of the wine (discard rest).
Place steak in crock pot and cover with tomatoes, reserved wine, celery, onion, Worcestershire, spices and four chopped slices of the  tender bacon (with a teaspoon of the drippings), reserving crispy bacon bits for topping later. Stir gently, cover and set to cook for low for 8 hours (mine has a feature which will move it to warm when the 8 hours is done).
When you get home remove about a half cup of the broth, let cool slightly and stir in a couple heaping teaspoons of flour if you would like the stock thicker and whisk until there are no lumps. SLOWLY  stream into the crock pot, stirring constantly, then place lid back on, turn heat up if it's on warm and continue cooking another 15-30 minutes to thicken.
Serve in bowls with sour cream and chopped crispy bacon.  This would also be good over noodles for those so inclined.  :-)

Pimento Cheese Dip

Ganked from Brigid on the Home on the Range blog.

1/2 package cream cheese (about 4 ounces)


1 cup grated sharp cheddar

1 cup grated Monterey Jack

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (or mix of salt,pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of cayenne)

3 heaping tablespoons pimentos, smashed

splash of Worcestershire sauce

pinch of grated lemon zest

1 generous teaspoon finely diced sweet onion



Beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy with a small electric mixer.



Add all of the remaining ingredients and beat until well blended.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

8 pounds quahog or large cherrystone clams, scrubbed and rinsed, opened clams discarded
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
3/4 cup diced carrot

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (can be a little spicy, could cut to 1/4 tsp)

1 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes or
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper (not really needed, with the red crushed pepper)
Salt

Directions

 In a large stockpot bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add clams, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, quickly stir clams well with a wooden spoon, and recover. Allow clams to cook 5 to 10 minutes longer (this will depend on the type and size of clams you are using), or until most of the clams are opened. Transfer clams to a large bowl or baking dish and strain broth through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. (You should have about 6 cups of clam broth. If not, add enough water to bring the volume up to 6 cups.) When clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Set clams and broth aside. In a large heavy pot add bacon and render until golden and crispy. Pour off all fat except 4 tablespoons. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Do not allow to color. Add garlic, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes. Increase heat to high and add potatoes, reserved clam broth, and chicken stock and bring to a boil, covered. Cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened somewhat. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add reserved clams and parsley and season with pepper and salt, if necessary. Allow chowder to sit for up to 1 hour to allow flavors to meld, then reheat slowly over low fire if necessary. Do not allow to boil.