Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Tuesday's were made for Tacos, love and Spanish Red Rice {P.C. term}

There is always room for taco Tuesday's. When I was young it wasn't just on Tuesdays; my father went through a phase of tacos for a months on end; still to this day he loves my Mamma's tacos...

So here is my west coast famous Mexican Red Rice recipe; passed down from when I was a wee lad teaching at the Boy Scout camp  on Catalina hanging out with the Kitchen Staff, teaching young scouts the wonders of cooking and cooking my need for delicious delights from the kitchen or the campfire. Credit must be passed to Eric Duarte (Emerald Bay Kitchen Manager/Cook). This is not low-carb, not really healthy, but damn it’s fucking good and guaranteed to please a crowd even on meatloaf Mondays!

  • 1-Onion (Yellow or White) chopped
  • 2-Tbsp. Vegetable Oil/Lard (If you’re really feeling fatty!)
  • 1-Cup white long grain rice uncooked
  • 2-Cups prepared chicken  Broth (use the powder it’s more economical)
  • 1-8oz can Tomato sauce OR diced tomatoes
  • 2-Tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 ½ -Tsp. Cumin
  • 1 ½ -Tsp Dried Oregano
  • ½ Tsp. Salt
  • ½ Tsp. Pepper
  • 1/8 Tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp. Granulated Sugar

  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan that has a matching lid until just about smoking.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook onions until translucent.
  3. Add the rice and fold in until thoroughly coated and rice get’s a puffy look to it, do not burn!
  4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine, bring to a boil over high heat.
  5. Cover with the lid and reduce heat to super-super-low. Like distant lantern seen from the shore on a foggy night low.
  6. Keep your grubby little hands off it until 30-minutes have passed. 


If you left your heat up too high you will easily burn it. If you open it up the rice will not cook completely; resist the urge to waft in the delicious smell.
Serve or store for future use. Frank especially likes to have this when it’s fresh with banana on top… To each his own!

My favorite Frugal Fag insider spot for taco Tuesday is at you're local Brandon's Diner. Who can beat 99-cent tacos? You can't beat it even with an ugly stick! Be mindful of the blue plate special crowd because it can get a bit loco! I round off the meal with a round of fries and large water. We had tree people with a hefty appetite which calculated to a total of 7-Tacos and fries; grand total of $12 + tip. Props to the staff they always get it just right!

Still to come is that Honey Mustard Dressing just got sidetracked by the thrill of TACO TUESDAY. 

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Low Carb Ketchup

I am in no way saying that I am the most healthy person in the world. I eat what I like and I like what I eat. I'm a foodie in all senses of the word really. But over the course of time I have been watching what really truly goes into the manufacturing process of foodstuffs that we eat. Some of the fillers and all the other shit that we eat is so nasty! Furthermore there is more sugar in ketchup than there is in Ice Cream; go figure.

Ketchup is one of my nearest and dearest friends, we would go to bed on a regular basis if we could! A little background on ketchup. In the 1690s the Chinese mixed together a concoction of pickled fish and spices and called it kôe-chiap or kê-chiap meaning the brine of pickled fish (carp juice) or shellfish {BLAGH!}

By the early 18th century, the table sauce had made it to present day Malaysia, where it was discovered by British explorers, and by 1740, it had become an English staple. The Malay word for the sauce was kĕchap. That word evolved into the English word "ketchup.

Many variations of ketchup were created, but the tomato-based version did not appear until about a century after other types. By 1801, a recipe for tomato ketchup was created by Sandy Addison and was later printed in an American cookbook, the Sugar House Book; which took 100 ripe tomatoes and had you squeeze by hand boil in a cauldron and bottle for a yield of 3-4 Years worth of drippy ketchup... {Too much work}

Modern ketchup emerged in the early years of the 20th century, out of a debate over the use of sodium benzoate as a preservative in condiments. Entrepreneurs including Henry J. Heinz, pursued an alternative recipe that eliminated the need for that preservative thus the evolving of modern day Ketchup. 

I was curious as to the difference between ketchup, catsup and fancy ketchup. Ketchup and Catsup are colloquial spellings only and are for the same thing, but a more scientific reason is behind the labeling of Fancy Ketchup.

Mc Donald’s {one of the best examples of good ketchup} has the label “Fancy Ketchup” This is a USDA grade, relating to specific gravity. Fancy ketchup has a higher tomato solid concentration than other USDA grades.
Grade
Specific Gravity
Total Solids
Fancy
1.15
33%
Extra Standard
1.13
29%
Standard
1.11
25%
If you’re a technical type you can read the whole thing here: "Textural Modification of Processing Tomatoes".

So to make the fancy Ketchup that I made the other day it does not require 100-Tomatoes, nor does it require Sodium Benzonate. I am sure the quality based upon USDA standards may say that this ketchup is simply Standard Ketchup. But in my mind this is pretty damn good stuff! Let's have a go...
    • ‎6 oz Tomato Paste (1-small can)
    • 2/3 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 1/3 C Water
    • 1/3 C Splenda
    • 2 Tbsp Finely Minced Onion
    • 2 Cloves garlic (crushed)
    • 1Tsp salt
    • 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
    • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
    • 1/8 tsp pepper
    • 1/4 tsp guar or xanth gum*
      • *This is soley to make the ketchup gunk up like, well, ketchup and to extrude the water that collects if you don't use it right away. If you're not watching your carbs use some corn starch!
Put all ingredients in the blender and run until all the bits of onion have disappear. 
Refrigerate in airtight container

Yield: 1 1/2 C.
Each Tbsp = 2.25g carbs

Note: This comes from the fabulous cookbook: Dana Carpender's 500 Low Carb Recipes.

On a side note regarding this process, I first tried to do everything in the food processor, that didn't work out so well unless you have one of those gigatic Barefoot Contessa things use the blender. Furthermore it makes for a smoother prouct. I had looked online for other recpeies for ketchup and some said to heat the ketchup to combine the flavors; don't do that with this one. I think because you are using splenda when it is heated it makes the ketchup TOO SWEET! 

For storage I went to the 99-cent store and got Ketchup and mustard containers for a buck! Now that's the Frugal Fag way of life!


Check out the next blog post for the LOW CARB Tangy Honey Mustard Dressing.